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MEMOIRS  OF  THE  WAR 


SOUTHERN  DEPARTMENT 


OF  THE 


UNITED  STATES. 


/ 


BY  HENRY  LEE, 


LIEUTENANT  COLONEL  COMMANDANT  OF  THE  PARTISAN  LEGION 
DtfRING  THE  AMERICAN  WAR. 


Quseque  ipse  miserriraa  vidt 


Bt  quorum  pars  fui. 


Vihqii,, 


IN  TWO  VOLUMES, 
VOL.  II. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  BRADFORD  AND  INSKEEP; 

ASTD 

INSKEEP  AND  BRADFORD,  NEW  YORK. 

Fry  and  Kammerer,  Printers^ 
1812. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THE  WAR 


IN  THE 


SOUTHERN  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  UNITED 
STATES. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

IT  has  been  before  observed,  that  the  British  cabinet, 
despairing  of  the  subjugation  of  the  United  States,  had 
changed  its  plan  of  operations,  in  the  expectation  of 
wresting  from  the  Union  its  richest  though  weakest 
section. 

In  pursuance  of  this  system,  the  breaking  up  of 
Virginia  was  deemed  of  primary  importance,  and  to 
this  object  sir  Henry  Clinton  devoted  all  his  dispo- 
sable force.  It  will  be  remembered,  that  general  Ma- 
thews, with  a  small  detachment,  in  1779,  laid  waste 
all  the  seaboard  of  the  state;  destroying,  or  transporting 
to  New  York,  an  immense  quantity  of  naval  and  mili- 
tary stores,  besides  private  property;  and  that  a  sub- 
sequent expedition  under  major  general  Leslie  had 
taken  place,  which  was  soon  abandoned,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  derangement  which  occurred  in  the 

Vol.  II.  A 


2  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

plans  of  lord  Cornwallis  by  the  fall  of  lieutenant  colo- 
nel Ferguson. 

The  British  commander  in  chief,  pursuing  steadily 
this  favorite  object,  prepared,  as  soon  as  it  was  prac- 
ticable, a  third  expedition  for  that  devoted  country.  It 
consisted  only  of  one  thousand  six  hundred  men,  and 
was  placed  under  the  direction  of  brigadier  general  Ar- 
nold; who,  preferring  wealth  with  ignominy,  to  poverty 
with  honor,  had  lately  deserted  from  the  service  of  his 
country,  having  been  detected  in  the  infamous  attempt 
to  betray  West  Point,  with  the  care  of  which  fortress 
he  was  then  entrusted.  The  object  being  devastation 
and  plunder,  sir  Henry  Clinton  could  not  have  made  a 
more  appropriate  selection:  but  when  we  consider  the 
nice  feelings  inherent  in  soldiership,  he  ran  no  incon- 
siderable risk  of  alienating  the  affections  of  his  army, 
by  honoring  a  traitor  with  the  command  of  British 
troops.  Mortifying  as  was  this  appointment  to  many, 
it  seems  that  the  British  officers  determined  to  submit 
in  silence,  lest  their  opposition  might  delay,  if  not 
prevent,  an  expedition  deemed  necessary  by  their 
commander  in  chief.  Arnold,  foul  with  treason  to  his 
country,  and  with  treachery  to  his  friend,  escaped  from 
the  probable  consequence  of  a  well  digested  plan  laid 
by  Washington  for  his  seizure,  which  had  advanced 
almost  to  the  point  of  consummation,  when  he  removed 
from  his  quarters  to  prepare  for  the  expedition  to  Vir- 
ginia. He  was  accidentally  withdrawn  from  surround- 
ing conspirators,  ready,  on  the  night  of  that  very  day, 
to  have  seized  his  person,  conveyed  him  across  the 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.        3 

North  river  to  Hoboken,  where  they  would  have  been 
met  by  a  detachment  of  dragoons,  for  the  purpose  of 
conveying  the  traitor  to  headquarters.  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson still  continued  at  the  head  of  the  government: 
a  gentleman  who  had  taken  an  early  and  distinguished 
part  in  the  revolution,  highly  respected  for  his  literary 
accomplishments,  and  as  highly  esteemed  for  his  amia- 
bility and  modesty.  General  Greene,  when  passing 
to  the  south  through  Richmond,  had  left,  as  has  been 
mentioned,  major  general  baron  Steuben  in  command 
in  Virginia. 

Early  in  December,  the  governor  was  informed,  by 
letter  from  the  commander  in  chief,  of  the  preparations 
in  New  York  for  an  expedition  to  the  south;  but  nei- 
ther the  governor  nor  the  baron  seems  to  have  acted 
under  this  communication,  presuming,  probably,  that 
the  detachment  making  ready  in  New  York  was  des- 
tined for  South  Carolina,  to  reinforce  the  British  force 
under  lord  Cornwallis.  It  would  appear,  that  a  due 
recollection  of  the  preceding  attempts  upon  Virginia, 
with  the  knowledge  that  as  long  as  that  state  could 
hold  safe  its  resources,  so  long  would  resistance  in  the 
south  be  maintained,  ought  to  have  admonished  the 
governor  and  the  general  to  prepare,  at  once,  means  to 
meet  the  invasion,  should  it  be  directed  against  that 
quarter.  General  Arnold's  preparations  were  slow;  for 
the  British  had  not  yet  relinquished  their  apprehensions 
that  the  count  de  Terney,  commanding  the  French 
squadron  at  Rhode  Island,  would  receive  from  the 
West  Indies  a  reinforcement  that  would  give  him 


4  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

such  a  naval  superiority  as  to  endanger  any  maritime 
expedition  of  theirs.  In  November  this  apprehension 
ceased,  and  about  the  middle  of  the  next  month  the 
convoy  with  the  expedition  left  the  Hook.  After  a  te- 
dious passage,  it  reached  the  Chesapeak  on  the  30th, 
when  was  felt  the  fatal  effect  of  omitting  timely  pre- 
parations to  defend  the  country.  The  governor  detach- 
ed general  Nelson  to  the  coast,  as  soon  as  he  was 
informed  of  the  entrance  of  the  enemy  into  the  bay, 
for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  militia  into  the  field; 
while  baron  Steuben,  believing  Petersburg,  the  depot 
for  the  southern  army,  to  be  the  object,  hastened  his 
continental  force,  about  two  hundred  recruits,  to  that 
town.  Arnold,  embarking  his  troops  in  the  lighter 
vessels,  proceeded  up  James  river,  and  on  the  fourth 
of  January  approached  City  Point,  situated  at  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Appomatox  with  James  river.  It  was 
now  evident,  and,  indeed,  a  little  reflection  would  have 
before  demonstrated,  that  the  lower  country  was  not 
the  primary  object  with  the  enemy.  Mathews,  in  his 
incursion,  had  deprived  the  state  of  the  contents  of  her 
arsenals  in  that  quarter;  and  had  our  ability  permitted 
their  renewal,  prudence  would  have  forbidden  the  col- 
lection of  articles  of  value  in  spots  so  accessible  to  the 
enemy.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  the  governor  and  gene- 
ral learned  that  the  squadron  had  cast  anchor  in  Hamp- 
ton Road,  (however  hope  may  heretofore  have  prevailed 
over  vigilance,  on  the  receipt  of  general  Washington's 
letter  in  the  first  week  in  December,  communicating 
the  readiness  of  a  body  of  troops  in  New  York  to  em- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.       5 

bark,  believed  to  be  destined  for  the  south,)  due  re-' 
flection  would  have  shown,  that  Richmond  or  Peters- 
burg, or  both,  was  the  probable  destination  of  this 
small  armament,  the  suddenness  of  whose  approach, 
more  than  its  force,  could  give  to  it  efficacy.  It  is  true 
that  the  honorable  and  continued  efforts  to  uphold  the 
states  to  its  south,  had  exhausted  much  of  the  resources 
of  Virginia;  yet  she  possessed  enough,  more  than 
enough,  to  have  sustained  the  struggle  for  their  res- 
toration, and  to  have  crushed  any  predatory  adventure 
like  that  directed  by  Arnold.  But  unfortunately  we 
were  unprepared,  and  efforts  to  make  ready  commenced 
after  the  enemy  was  knocking  at  our  doors.  The  go- 
vernment, which  does  not  prepare  in  time,  doubles  the 
power  of  its  adversary,  and  sports  with  the  lives  of  its 
citizens;  for  to  recover  lost  ground,  when  the  required 
force  becomes  ready,  compels  resort  to  hazardous  en- 
terprise, sometimes  ruinous  by  disappointment,  always 
debilitating  by  the  prodigal  waste  of  resources. 

Upon  this  occasion,  the  celerity  of  the  enemy's  ad- 
vance, however  unequivocally  it  exemplified  the  first, 
gave  no  opportunity  for  the  illustration  of  the  last  part 
of  the  observation. 

On  the  fourth  of  January,  Arnold  debarked  at  West- 
over,  the  seat  of  Mrs.  Byrd,  relict  of  colonel  Byrd, 
the  honorable  associate  of  Washington,  in  defence  of 
the  frontiers  of  Virginia  against  the  Indian  enemy, 
then  guided  and  aided  by  France.  This  step,  though 
indecisive,  from  the  facility  with  which  the  convey- 
ance derived  from  naval  co-operation  admitted  to  with 


6  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

draw  to   the    southern  banks  of  the  river,  in  case 
Petersburg  had  been  his  principal  object,  gave  serious 
alarm  to  the  governor  and  general.  Now,  for  the  first 
time,  they  discovered  that  the  seat  of  government  was 
to  receive  a  visit  from  Arnold;  and  now  they  ascertain- 
ed, that  although  general  Nelson  had  been  sent  below, 
and  the  militia  commandants  had  been  summoned  to 
furnish  aid  from  above,  yet  the  postponement  of  com- 
mencing preparations  on  the  receipt  of  the  letter  of 
advice  from  general  Washington,  to  the  hour  of  the 
enemy's  arrival  in  Chesapeak  bay,  had  left  them,  the 
archives  of  the  state,  its  reputation,  and  all  the  military- 
stores  deposited  in  the  magazines  of  the  metropolis,  at 
the  mercy  of  a  small  corps  conducted  by  a  traitor, 
who,  feeling  the   rope  about  his  neck  tightening  in 
every  step  he  advanced,  would  have  hastened  to  his 
naval  asylum  the  moment  he  saw  the  probability  of 
adequate  resistance.  Yet  for  the  want  of  due  prepara- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  invaded  state,  nine  hundred 
British  troops,  with  Arnold  at  their  head,  dared  to 
leave  their  ships,  and  advance  to  Richmond,  twenty- 
five  miles  distant  from  their  place  of  safety.  It  will 
scarcely  be  credited  by  posterity,  that  the  governor  of 
the  oldest  state  in  the  Union,  and  the  most  populous, 
(taking  for  our  calculation  the  ratio  established  by  the 
present  constitution  of  the  United  States  to  designate 
the  number  of  representatives  allowed  to  each  state,) 
should  have  been  driven  out  of  its  metropolis,  and  forc- 
ed to  secure  personal  safety  by  flight,  and  its  archives, 
with  all  its  munitions  and  stores,  yielded  to  the  will 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.        7 

of  the  invader,  with  the  exception  of  a  few,  which  ac- 
cident, more  than  precaution,  saved  from  the  common 
lot.  Incredible  as  the  narrative  will  appear,  it  is  never- 
theless true. 

On  the  fifth  of  January,  Arnold  entered  Richmond, 
untouched  by  the  small  collection  of  militia  detached 
to  interrupt  his  advance;  and  on  the  following  day 
lieutenant  colonel  Simcoe,  one  of  the  best  officers  in 
the  British  army,  proceeded  at  the  head  of  his  corps 
of  rangers,  horse  and  foot,  supported  by  a  detachment 
from  the  line,  to  Westham,  where  was  the  only  can- 
non foundery  in  the  state,  which,  with  its  various  ap- 
purtenances and  their  respective  contents,  he  destroyed. 
Here,  unluckily,  the  public  stores  removed  from  Rich- 
mond in  the  perturbation  excited  by  the  novel  appear- 
ance of  British  battalions,  had  been  deposited:  the  last 
spot  which  ought  to  have  been  selected;  as  the  most 
common  reflection  ought  to  have  suggested  the  proba- 
bility that  the  enemy  in  Richmond,  safe  as  he  was, 
would  never  retire  until  he  had  destroyed  an  important 
military  establishment  so  near  as  Westham.  Making 
it  a  place  of  additional  deposit,  was  therefore  increas- 
ing the  inducement  to  destroy  it. 

Simcoe  having  fully  executed  his  mission,  undis- 
turbed by  even  a  single  shot,  returned  to  Richmond, 
where  devastation  had  been  extended  under  Arnold's 
direction,  until  even  his  greedy  appetite  was  cloyed, 
and  his  revengeful  heart  sated.  Having  spread  desola- 
tion all  around,  the  brigadier  decamped,  and  on  the 
7th  returned  to  Westover,  without  meeting  even  the 


8  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

semblance  of  resistance.  Our  militia  were  now  assem- 
bling: brave  men,  always  willing  to  do  their  duty, 
never  brought  to  understand  how  best  to  execute  it, 
never  properly  equipped,  or  judiciously  conducted. 

Some  few  unfortunately  assembled  at  Charles  City 
courthouse,  in  conformity  to  orders  from  government, 
not  more  than  eight  or  nine  miles  from  Westover. 
Simcoe  hearing  of  it,  put  his  corps  in  motion  and  soon 
dispersed  them,  happily  with  very  little  loss,  in  con- 
quence  of  the  impatience  of  the  enemy,  who  omitted 
some  of  those  precautions  necessary  to  secure  com- 
plete success.  The  object  was  trivial,  or  this  superior 
soldier  would  have  conducted  his  enterprise  with  the 
proper  forecast   and  circumspection.*   Nothing  re- 

*  This  officer  commanded  a  legionary  corps  called  the  Queen's 
Rangers,  and  had  during  the  war  signalized  himself  upon  various 
occasions.  He  was  a  man  of  letters,  and  like  the  Romans  and  Gre- 
cians, cultivated  science  amid  the  turmoil  of  camp.  He  was 
enterprising,  resolute,  and  persevering;  weighing  well  his  pro- 
ject before  entered  upon,  and  promptly  seizing  every  advantage 
which  offered  in  the  course  of  execution.  General  Washington 
expecting  a  French  fleet  upon  our  coast  in  1779  or  1780,  and  de- 
sirous of  being  thoroughly  prepared  for  moving  upon  New  York, 
in  case  the  combined  force  should  warrant  it,  had  made  ready  a 
number  of  boats,  which  were  placed  at  Middlebrook,  a  small  vil- 
lage up  the  Rariton  river,  above  Brunswick.  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
being  informed  of  this  preparation,  determined  to  destroy  the 
boats.  The  enterprise  was  committed  to  lieutenant  colonel  Sim- 
coe. He  crossed  from  New  York  to  Elizabethtown  Point  with  his 
caval.7,  and  setting  out  after  night,  he  reached  Middlebrook  un- 
discovered and  unexpected.  Having  executed  his  object,  he  baf- 
fled all  our  efforts  to  intercept  him  on  his  return,  by  taking  a 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States,       9 

maining  to  be  done,  Arnold  reimbarked  on  the  10th, 
and  descending  the  river,  landed  detachments  occa- 

circuitous  route.  Instead  of  turning  towards  Perth  Amboy,  which 
was  supposed  to  be  the  most  probable  course,  keeping  the  Rari- 
ton  on  his  right,  he  passed  that  river,  taking  the  direction  towards 
Monmouth  county,  leaving  Brunswick  some  miles  to  his  left. 
Here  was  stationed  a  body  of  militia,  who  being  apprized  (it  being 
now  day)  of  the  enemy's  proximity,  made  a  daring  effort  to  stop 
him,  but  failed  in  the  attempt.  Simcoe,  bringing  up  the  rear,  had 
his  horse  killed,  by  which  accident  he  was  made  prisoner.  The 
cavalry,  deprived  of  their  leader,  continued  to  press  forward  under 
the  second  in  command,  still  holding  the  route  to  English  town. 
As  soon  as  the  militia  at  Brunswick  moved  upon  the  enemy,  an 
express  was  despatched  to  lieutenant  colonel  Lee,  then  posted 
in  the  neighborhood  of  English  town,  waiting  for  the  expected 
arrival  of  the  French  fleet,  advising  him  of  this  extraordinary 
adventure. 

The  legion  cavalry  momentarily  advanced  towards  the  British 
horse;  and  notwithstanding  the  utmost  diligence  was  used  to  gain 
the  road  leading  to  South  Amboy  (which  now  was  plainly  the 
object)  before  the  enemy  could  reach  it,  the  American  cavalry 
did  not  effect  it.  Nevertheless  the  pursuit  was  continued,  and  the 
legion  horse  came  up  with  the  rear  soon  after  a  body  of  infantry 
sent  over  to  South  Amboy  from  Staten  Island  by  sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton to  meet  Simcoe,  had  joined,  and  gave  safety  to  the  harassed 
and  successful  foe. 

This  enterprise  was  considered,  by  both  armies,  among  the 
handsomest  exploits  of  the  war.  Simcoe  executed  completely 
his  object,  then  deemed  very  important;  and  traversed  the  coun- 
try, from  Elizabethtown  Point  to  South  Amboy,  fifty-five  miles, 
in  the  course  of  the  night  and  morning;  passing  through  a  most 
hostile  region  of  armed  citizens;  necessarily  skirting  Brunswick, 
a  military  station;  proceeding  not  more  than  eight  or  nine  miles 
from  the  legion  of  Lee,  his  last  point  of  danger,  and  which  he- 

Vol.  II.  B 


10  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

sionally,  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  whatever  could 
be  discovered  worthy  of  his  attention.  At  Smithfield, 
and  at  Mackay's  mill,  were  found  some  public  stores; 
these  shared  the  fate  of  those  in  Richmond  and  at  West- 
ham.  On  the  20th,  the  British  detachment  reached 
Portsmouth,  where  general  Arnold  commenced  de- 
fences indicating  the  intention  of  rendering  it  a  perma- 
nent station. 

Major  general  Steuben,  having  under  him  the  in- 
defatigable patriot  and  soldier  general  Nelson,  had 
by  this  time  drawn  together  a  considerable  body  of 
militia,  in  consequence  of  the  exertion  of  the  governor. 
With  all  who  were  armed*  the  baron  followed  Arnold; 

came  increased  from  the  debilitated  condition  to  which  his  troops 
were  reduced  by  previous  fatigue.  What  is  very  extraordinary, 
lieutenant  colonel  Simcoe  being  obliged  to  feed  once  in  the  course 
of  the  night,  stopped  at  a  depot  of  forage  collected  for  the  conti- 
nental army,  assumed  the  character  of  Lee's  cavalry,  waked  up 
the  commissary  about  midnight,  drew  the  customary  allowance 
of  forage,  and  gave  the  usual  vouchers,  signing  the  name  of  the 
legion  quarter-master,  without  being  discovered  by  the  American 
forage  commissary  or  his  assistants.  The  dress  of  both  corps 
was  the  same,  green  coatees  and  leather  breeches;  yet  the  suc- 
cess of  the  stratagem  is  astonishing. 

*  Arnold  was  practically  acquainted  with  the  dilatoriness  at- 
tendant on  militia  movements;  and  finding,  on  his  arrival  in  the 
state,  that  no  preparations  for  defence  had  been  made,  or  even 
ordered,  he  determined  to  avail  himself  of  the  supineness  of  the 
government,  and  by  taking  the  first  fair  wind  to  approach  within 
one  day's  march  of  Richmond,  possess  himself  of  it,  and  destroy 
the  arms;  which  were  then  useless  for  want  of  men,  as  now  men 
had  become  useless  for  want  of  arms.  A  well  conceived  and  well 
executed  project,  ansMrering  completely  in  manner  and  object. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      11 

and  at  Hood's,  lieutenant  colonel  Clarke  (an  officer  in 
the  Virginia  line,  taken  at  Charleston,  and  lately  ex- 
changed) by  a  well  concerted  stratagem  allured  Simcoe 
to  pursue  a  small  party  exposed  to  view,  with  the 
expectation  of  drawing  him  into  an  ambuscade,  pre- 
pared for  his  reception.  Judiciously  as  was  the  scheme 
contrived,  it  was  marred  in  the  execution,  by  the  pre- 
cipitation with  which  the  militia  abandoned  their  post, 
after  discharging  one  fire.  Simcoe  lost  a  few  men,  and 
deeming  pursuit  useless,  retired  to  the  squadron. 

Recurring  to  the  past  scene,  we  find  that  the  British 
general  entered  the  Chesapeak  on  the  30th  of  Decem- 
ber; that  he  took  possession  of  Richmond  on  the  5th 
of  January,  ninety  miles  from  Hampton  Roads,  des- 
troying all  the  public  stores  there  and  at  Westham, 
with  such  private  property  as  was  useful  in  war;  that 
he  reached  Portsmouth  on  the  20th,  spreading  devas- 
tation as  he  descended  the  river,  wherever  any  object 
invited  his  attention;  and  that  during  this  daring  and 
destructive  expedition,  he  never  was  seriously  opposed 
at  any  one  point. 

What  must  posterity  think  of  their  ancestors,  when 
they  read  these  truths!  Had  not  the  war  demonstrated 
beyond  doubt  that  the  present  generation  possessed 
its  share  of  courage  and  love  of  country,  we  should 
have  been  pronounced  destitute  of  these  distinguished 
characteristics.  There  was,  in  fact,  no  deficiency  of 
inclination  or  zeal  (unequal  as  was  the  contest)  in  our 
militia  to  advance  upon  the  foe;  but  there  was  a  fatal 
destitution  of  arrangement,  of  military  apparatus,  and 
of  system. 


12  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Abounding  in  the  finest  horses,  and  our  citizens 
among  the  best  riders  in  the  world,  no  regular  corps 
of  horse  had  been  provided  for  state  defence;  although 
the  face  of  our  country,  intersected  in  every  quarter 
with  navigable  rivers  unprotected  by  floating  batteries 
and  undefended  by  forts,  manifested  the  propriety  of 
resorting  to  this  species  of  defence,  as  better  calculated 
than  any  other  within  our  command,  to  curb  the  de- 
sultory plundering  incursions,  under  which  we  had  so 
often  and  severely  suffered. 

One  single  legionary  corps  of  three  hundred  horse 
and  three  hundred  musketry,  with  a  battalion  of  mount- 
ed riflemen,  accompanied  by  a  battalion  of  infantry, 
under  a  soldier  of  genius,  would  have  been  amply 
sufficient  to  preserve  the  state  from  its  past  insults 
and  injuries;  and  as  this  body  might  have  been,  when 
necessary,  conveyed  with  the  despatch  of  horse,  by 
double  mounting,  it  would  in  some  degree  have  di- 
minished the  disadvantage  we  labored  under  from  the 
facility  and  ubiquity  of  our  navigation.  Such  a  force 
might  readily  have  been  made  up  by  drafts  from 
the  militia,  and,  being  devoted  to  local  defence,  many 
would  have  enlisted  themselves  to  avoid  more  distant 
service. 

Throughout  the  state  were  interspersed  officers, 
bred  under  Washington,  compelled  to  turn  away  from 
the  field  of  battle,  because  our  diminished  number  of 
rank  and  file  rendered  a  proportionate  diminution  in 
the  higher  grades  incumbent:  they  were  devoted  to 
the  great  cause  for  which  they  had  fought,  and  with 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      13 

alacrity  would  have  rallied  around  the  standards  of 
their  country,  whenever  summoned  by  government. 
Out  of  such  materials,  in  the  manner  suggested,  the 
commonwealth  might  have  been  held  untouched,  and 
our  military  stores,  so  much  wanted,  and  so  hard  to 
obtain,  would  have  been  secured. 

Indeed  when  known  in  New  York,  that  such  means 
of  defence  were  provided,  no  attempt  like  that  entrust- 
ed to  Arnold  would  have  been  projected;  and  sir  Henry 
Clinton,  not  having  it  in  his  power  to  spare  large  divi- 
sions of  his  force,  these  injurious  and  debasing  incur- 
sions would  not  have  taken  place.  Never  in  the  course 
of  the  war  was  a  more  alluring  opportunity  presented 
for  honorable  enterprise,  with  so  fair  a  prospect  of 
success. 

Had  the  governor  fortunately  prepared,  on  receipt 
of  general  Washington's  letter  early  in  December, 
six  or  seven  hundred  militia  of  those  most  convenient 
to  Richmond  and  Petersburg,  being  the  only  two  places 
within  the  state  possessing  objects  which  could  attract 
the  British  armament,  well  directed  efforts  against  Ar- 
nold, as  soon  as  he  approached  Rockets',  would  have 
saved  Richmond  and  Westham;  and  might  have  ter- 
minated in  the  capture  of  the  traitor  and  the  destruction 
of  his  detachment. 

The  position  at  Rockets'  is  strong,  and  peculiarly 
adapted  for  militia:  the  enemy's  right  flank  being  ex- 
posed, as  soon  as  his  front  crossed  the  creek,  to  a 
sudden  assault  from  the  main  force  posted  along  the 
rivulet  and  upon  the  heights,  while  the  houses  in  front 


14  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

gave  defences  from  which  it  would  not  be  very  easy 
to  dislodge  an  inferior  force  determined  to  do  its  duty. 
Opposition  in  this  quarter  would  have  stopped  the  in- 
vader. The  country  through  which  he  must  retreat 
presents  three  points  where  he  might  have  been  suc- 
cessively and  advantageously  assailed.  The  first  at 
Four  Mile  creek,  where  the  ground  not  only  affords 
powerful  aid  to  the  assailant,  but  is  exactly  suitable  to 
the  Americans,  who  understood  passing  with  facility 
through  mud,  water,  and  thick  brush,  fighting  from 
covert  to  covert;  whereas  the  enemy  would  never  feel 
himself  safe,  unless  in  close  order  and  unison  of  action, 
neither  of  which  could  long  be  preserved  when  attacked 
in  such  a  position. 

The  next  is,  as  you  pass  from  Richmond,  at 
Pleasant's  mills,  and  the  last,  more  advantageous  than 
either,  is  close  under  Malvern  hills,  the  north  margin 
of  the  creek  which  intersects  the  road. 

A  discriminating  officer,  with  inferior  force,  availing 
himself  with  dexterity  of  the  advantages  which  in  many 
places  the  country  affords  between  Richmond  and 
Westover,  against  a  retreating  foe,  could  hardly  fail  to 
bring  him  to  submission. 

But  we  were  unprepared  for  resistance;  and  inviting 
as  was  the  moment,  it  passed  unseized.  Our  people  in 
the  lower  country,  finding  the  metropolis  gone,  and 
the  enemy  unresisted,  followed  the  example  of  the 
government,  abandoned  their  habitations,  exposed 
their  families  to  the  misery  of  flight,  and  left  their 
property  at  the  mercy  of  the  invader.  What  ills  spring 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      15 

from  the  timidity  and  impotence  of  rulers!  In  them 
attachment  to  the  common  cause  is  vain  and  illusory, 
unless  guided  in  times  of  difficulty  by  courage,  wis- 
dom, and  concert. 

This  scene  of  dismay,  confusion  and  destruction 
took  place  much  about  the  time  that  lord  Cornwallis 
again  opened  the  campaign  in  the  south;  and  during 
the  difficult  retreat  which  soon  after  ensued,  the  intel- 
ligence of  Arnold's  success  reached  the  two  armies, 
deeply  afflicting  to  the  one,  and  highly  encouraging  to 
the  other.  Greene  saw  the  state,  on  whose  resources 
and  ability  he  relied  for  supplies  and  reinforcements, 
prostrated  at  the  feet  of  a  handful  of  men,  led  by  a 
traitor  and  deserter,  while  lord  Cornwallis  anticipated 
with  delight  his  certain  ultimate  success,  from  com- 
paring Arnold  and  his  detachment  with  himself  and 
his  army. 

Baron  Steuben,  not  being  in  a  condition  to  force 
intrenchments,  wisely  distributed  his  militia  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  enemy,  for  the  purpose  of  protecting 
the  country  from  light  incursions,  made  with  a  view 
to  collect  provisions  or  to  seize  plunder.  No  event 
occurred  in  this  quarter  worthy  of  notice,  general 
Arnold  continuing  to  adhere  to  his  position  in  Ports- 
mouth, and  baron  Steuben  never  having  force  sufficient 
to  drive  him  from  it. 

Congress  and  the  commander  in  chief,  not  less 
surprised  than  mortified  at  the  tidings  from  Virginia, 
bestowed  their  immediate  attention  upon  that  quarter. 
The  Virginia  delegation,  deploring  the  situation  of  its 


16  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

country,  pressed  the  chevalier  La  Luzerne,  minister 
plenipotentiary  from  his  most  christian  majesty,  to 
interpose  his  good  offices  with  the  commander  of  the 
French  fleet  at  Rhode  Island,  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
ducing him  to  detach  an  adequate  naval  force  to  the 
Chesapeak,  conceiving  that  such  co-operation  was  alone 
wanting  to  restore  the  tarnished  fame  of  the  state,  and 
to  punish  the  base  invader.  Washington,  participating 
in  the  feelings  of  the  delegation,  and  urged  by  the 
duty  of  his  station,  took  measures  forthwith  to  assist 
the  invaded  state.  He  addressed  himself  to  count  Ro- 
chambeau,  commanding  the  land  forces  of  his  most 
christian  majesty,  and  to  Monsieur  Destouches,  admi- 
ral of  his  squadron  in  the  American  seas,  urging  them 
to  seize  the  present  moment  for  inflicting  a  severe 
blow  on  the  common  enemy.  He  represented  the 
condition  and  situation  of  the  British  armament  in 
Virginia;  and  expatiated  in  fervid  terms  on  the  signal 
good  which  a  prompt  movement  with  the  fleet,  having 
on  board  a  small  auxiliary  force  from  the  army,  to  the 
Chesapeak,  would  certainly  produce.  He  deprecated  a 
naval  operation  unaided  by  an  adequate  detachment 
from  the  army,  as  incapable  with  the  militia  of  the 
country  to  effect  the  desired  object;  and  pressing  co- 
operating exertions  from  the  general  and  admiral,  he 
announced  his  intention,  arising  from  the  confidence 
he  felt  that  they  would  adopt  his  proposal,  of  drawing 
a  corps  of  twelve  hundred  men  from  his  army,  and 
detaching  it  with  orders  to  reach  by  forced  marches 
the  position  of  the  enemy.  Providentially,  the  French 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      17 

possessed  at  this  moment  naval  superiority;  the  British 
having  just  before  suffered  severely  in  a  storm  off 
Long  Island.  The  loss  of  one  ship  of  the  line,  and  the 
subtraction  of  two  additional  ships  rendered  unfit  for 
service  until  repaired,  gave  this  advantage.  Had  the 
admiral  and  general  adopted  at  once  the  plan  proposed 
by  Washington,  the  object  might  have  been  effected 
before  the  disabled  British  ships  could  have  been  re- 
fitted for  sea:  but  for  reasons  not  explained,  Monsieur 
Destouches  did  not  move  with  his  squadron,  but  des- 
patched a  part  of  it  only  to  the  Chesapeak,  without  a 
single  regiment  from  the  army.  The  commodore  had 
no  sooner  reached  his  place  of  destination  than,  disco- 
vering his  inability  to  execute  the  expected  service,  he 
hastened  back  to  his  admiral.  Falling  in  with  a  British 
frigate  on  his  return,  he  captured  her;  thus  obtaining 
some  little  compensation  for  the  otherwise  useless  ex- 
pedition. In  the  meantime  general  Washington's  de- 
tachment, under  the  marquis  de  la  Fayette,  proceeded 
to  the  head  of  Elk,  where  embarking  in  bay  craft 
collected  for  the  purpose,  the  marquis  soon  reached 
Annapolis;  from  which  place,  in  pursuance  of  the 
concerted  plan,  he  was  to  have  been  taken  down  the 
bay,  under  convoy  of  Monsieur  Destouches. 

In  all  military  operations  there  is  a  crisis,  which 
once  past,  can  never  be  recalled.  So  it  was  now.  We 
had  failed  to  seize  the  favorable  moment,  when  in  our 
grasp;  it  went  by,  and  was  irrecoverably  lost.  Had  the 
suggestion  of  Washington  been  adopted  in  the  first 

Vol.  IL  C 


18  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

instance,  the  British  armament  must  have  fallen,  and 
the  American  traitor  would  have  expiated  upon  a 
gibbet  his  atrocious  crime.  So  persuaded  was  Wash- 
ington that  such  was  now  the  probable  termination  to 
his  infamous  life,  that  he  instructed  the  marquis  not  to 
admit  any  stipulation  in  his  surrender  for  his  safety, 
and  forbad,  as  he  had  done  on  a  former  occasion,  the 
smallest  injury  to  the  person  of  Arnold;  his  object 
being  to  bring  him  to  public  punishment,  agreeably 
to  the  rules  and  regulations  established  by  congress  for 
the  government  of  the  army.  The  commander  in  chief 
was  much  mortified  when  he  learnt  that  his  proposi- 
tion to  the  general  and  admiral  had  not  been  executed, 
as  he  was  well  convinced  the  propitious  opportunity 
was  irretrievably  past.  His  chagrin  arose  not  only  from 
failure  in  striking  his  enemy,  from  failure  in  vindi- 
cating the  degraded  reputation  of  Virginia,  but  also 
from  this  second  escape  of  Arnold,  whose  safe  delivery 
at  headquarters  engaged  his  attention  from  the  mo- 
ment of  his  desertion.  Nevertheless,  he  concurred 
with  zeal  in  the  late  adoption  of  his  proposed  plan  by 
the  French  commanders,  and  continued  the  marquis 
at  Annapolis  for  co-operation.  Monsieur  Destouches 
finding,  by  the  return  of  his  commodore,  that  the  con- 
templated object  had  not  been  effected,  sailed  from 
Rhode  Island  with  his  squadron  on  the  eighth  of  March, 
with  a  suitable  detachment  from  the  army,  under  the 
count  de  Viominil.  Time  had  been  afforded  for  the 
refitment  of  the  two  disabled  ships  belonging  to  the 
British  fleet,  which  being  accomplished,  admiral  Ar- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     19 

buthnot  put  to  sea  on  the  tenth,  in  pursuit  of  the 
French  fleet,  and  came  up  with  it  on  the  sixteenth,  off 
the  capes  of  Virginia. 

The  hostile  fleets  were  not  long  in  view  before  they 
engaged.  The  action  was  not  general,  and,  like  most 
sea  battles,  indecisive.  After  one  hour's  combat  the 
fleets  separated,  each  claiming  the  victor)r.  However 
well  supported  might  be  the  title  of  the  French  admi- 
ral, it  cannot  be  doubted  that  he  entirely  failed  in  the 
object  of  the  expedition;  nor  is  it  less  certain  that  his 
disappointment  resulted  from  the  rencontre  that  had 
just  taken  place,  which  was  followed  by  the  British 
admiral's  possession  of  the  entrance  into  the  Chesa- 
peak,  and  by  the  return  of  the  French  fleet  to  Rhode 
Island. 

Nevertheless  congress,  the  states,  and  the  com- 
mander in  chief,  were  considerably  elated  by  the 
issue  of  the  naval  combat;  for  although  the  fleet  of 
our  ally  had  not  gained  any  decisive  advantage,  and 
had  been  obliged  to  abandon  its  enterprize,  still, 
without  superiority  of  force,  it  had  sustained  an  equal 
combat  against  an  enemy  whose  predominance  on  the 
ocean  had  been  long  established.  Congress  compli- 
mented Monsieur  Destouches  with  a  vote  of  thanks, 
expressing  their  approbation  and  confidence;  while 
general  Washington,  with  much  cordiality  and  satis- 
faction, tendered  to  the  admiral  his  sincere  congratu- 
lations. So  sensible  had  been  sir  Henry  Clinton  of  the 
vulnerable  condition  of  Arnold,  that  he  hastened  the 
embarkation  of  a  considerable  body  of  troops,  under 


20  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

major  general  Phillips  (lately  exchanged)  intended  ul- 
timately to  cooperate  with  lord  Cornwallis,  and  now 
applied  to  reinforce  the  detachment  in  Virginia,  as 
soon  as  the  Biitish  fleet  should  be  enabled  to  put  to 
sea. 

Arbuthnot  had  not  long  sailed  when  he  was  followed 
by  the  transports  with  the  armament  under  Phillips, 
which,  steering  directly  for  the  Chesapeak,  safely 
arrived,  after  a  short  passage;  and,  proceeding  up 
Elizabeth  river,  the  troops  debarked  at  Portsmouth, 
to  the  great  joy  of  brigadier  Arnold,  whose  apprehen- 
sions during  the  preceding  three  weeks  had  been  un- 
ceasing and  excruciating. 

The  marquis  la  Fayette  was  recalled  from  Annapolis 
to  the  head  of  Elk,  whence  he  was  directed  to  proceed 
to  Virginia,  and  take  upon  himself  the  command  of  the 
troops  collected  and  collecting  for  its  protection.  The 
British  force,  united  at  Portsmouth,  amounted  to  three 
thousand  five  hundred;  and,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of 
the  officers  heretofore  serving  under  Arnold,  was  now 
placed  under  the  direction  of  general  Phillips.  This 
officer  occupied  himself  in  completing  the  fortifications 
begun  by  Arnold,  and  making  such  additional  defences 
as  the  security  of  the  post  required.  As  soon  as  this 
was  effected,  he  prepared  for  offensive  operations. 

Leaving  one  thousand  men  in  Portsmouth,  he  em- 
barked with  the  residue  in  vessels  selected  for  the 
purpose,  and  proceeded  up  James  river,  with  a  view  of 
consummating  the  system  of  destruction  so  success- 
fully pursued  by  Arnold  during  his  short  expedition. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     21 

Although  the  heavy  hand  of  the  enemy  had  been 
stretched  twice  before  across  this  defenceless  country, 
withering  every  thing  it  touched;  although  the  diffi- 
culty with  which  our  infant  nation,  without  money 
and  without  credit,  gathered  together  small  quantities 
of  supplies,  without  which  resistance  must  terminate; 
and  although  the  state  of  our  interior  forbad  the  hope 
of  effectual  opposition,  not  from  the  want  of  means, 
but  from  the  want  of  wisely  husbanding  and  wisely 
applying  our  resources,  proved  again  and  again  by 
severe  experience;  yet  the  interval  since  Arnold's  un- 
opposed  visit  to  the  metropolis  was  passed  in  inactivity 
as  all  preceding  periods  of  quietude  had  passed.  What 
little  remained  of  the  vitals  of  resistance  were  still  left 
in  the  exposed  region  of  the  state,  instead  of  being 
all  collected  and  transported  over  the  Blue  ridge,  our 
nearest  security.  Instead  of  admonishing  our  planters 
of  the  danger  to  which  their  tobacco  was  exposed  in 
the  public  warehouses  on  the  navigable  rivers,  and 
urging  them  to  keep  this  valuable  resource  safe  at 
home  for  better  times,  our  towns  were  filled  with 
our  staple  commodity,  ready  to  be  burnt,  or  to  be 
exported,  as  might  best  comport  with  the  enemy's 
views. 

Indeed,  in  the  language  of  scripture,  "we  left  undone 
those  things  which  we  ought  to  have  done,  and  did 
those  things  which  we  ought  not  to  have  done,"  and 
well  might  follow  the  disgraces  and  distresses  which 
ensued. 


22  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

At  York  Town  were  deposited  some  narval  stores, 
and  in  its  harbor  were  a  few  public  and  private  vessels. 
This  little  assemblage  seems  first  to  have  engaged 
the  notice  of  the  British  general.  Having  advanced  up 
the  river  opposite  to  Williamsburg,  the  former  seat  of 
government,  Phillips  landed  with  his  troops  at  Bar- 
well's  ferry,  and  look  possession  of  this  deserted  city 
without  opposition;  hence  he  detached  to  York  Town, 
where  destroying  our  small  magazine,  he  returned  to 
his  fleet  and  proceeded  up  the  river.  Reaching  City- 
Point,  which  is  situated  on  the  south  side  of  James 
river,  where  it  receives  the  Appomatox,  the  British 
general  again  debarked  his  army. 

Petersburg,  the  great  mart  of  that  section  of  the 
state  which  lies  south  of  Appomatox,  and  of  the  north- 
ern part  of  North  Carolina,  stands  upon  its  banks,  about 
twelve  miles  from  City  Point;  and  after  the  destruction 
of  Norfolk,  ranked  first  among  the  commercial  towns 
of  the  state.  Its  chief  export  was  tobacco,  cdhsidered 
our  best  product,  and  at  this  time  its  warehouses  were 
filled.  In  addition  were  some  public  stores;  as  this 
town,  being  most  convenient  to  the  army  of  Greene, 
had  become  necessarily  a  place  of  depot  for  all  import- 
ed supplies  required  for  southern  operations. 

Phillips  directed  his  march  to  Petersburg,  which  he 
soon  reached,  without  opposition,  as  appeared  then  to 
be  the  habit  of  Virginia. 

All  the  regular  force  of  this  state  being  under  Greene 
in  South  Carolina,  its  defence  depended  entirely  upon 
the  exertions  of  its  executive  government,  and  its  mi- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     23 

litia.  Two  thousand  of  this  force  were  now  in  the  field, 
directed  by  the  baron  Steuben,  seconded  by  general 
Nelson;  half  of  which  was  stationed  on  each  side  of 
James  river.  Steuben,  not  doubting  as  to  Phillips'  ob- 
ject, put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  southern  division 
in  the  vicinity  of  Petersburg,  whose  safety  he  endea- 
vored to  effect;  but  as  he  was  incapable  of  doing 
more  than  merely  to  preserve  appearances,  this  effort 
was  abortive.  Advancing  into  the  town,  the  British 
troops  fell  upon  Steuben's  division,  well  posted,  and 
as  usual,  willing,  but  incapable,  to  resist  effectually. 
A  distant  cautious  rencontre  ensued;  adroitly  managed 
by  the  baron,  and  sharply  upheld  by  his  troops.  It 
terminated,  as  was  foreseen,  in  the  retreat  of  Steuben 
over  the  Appomatox,  breaking  down  the  bridge  after 
passing  it,  to  prevent  pursuit.  Phillips,  now  in  quiet 
possession  of  the  town,  pursued  the  British  policy  of 
crushing  southern  resistance,  by  destroying  the  re- 
sources of  Virginia.  The  warehouses,  stored  with  to* 
bacco,  our  best  substitute  for  money,  were  consumed. 
Every  thing  valuable  was  destroyed;  and  the  wealth 
of  this  flourishing  town  in  a  few  hours  disappeared. 
Pursuing  this  war  of  devastation,  he  crossed  the  Ap- 
pomatox, having  repaired  its  bridge;  and  dividing  his 
superior  force,  he  detached  Arnold  to  Osborne's,  ano- 
ther place  of  tobacco  storage,  while  he  proceeded 
himself  to  the  court-house  of  Chesterfield  county, 
which  lies  opposite  to  Richmond,  between  the  James 
and  Appomatox  rivers.  At  this  latter  place  was  no 
tobacco,  the  present  chief  object  of  British  conquerors; 


24  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

but  barracks  had  been  erected,  and  stores  collected 
there,  for  the  accommodation  of  our  recruits,  when 
assembled  at  this  place  to  join  the  southern  army. 
Arnold  destroyed  tobacco  and  every  thing  he  found  at 
Osborne's,  as  did  Phillips  the  barracks  and  stores  at 
the  court-house.  These  exploits  being  performed,  the 
two  divisions  of  the  army  rejoined  on  the  route  to 
Manchester,  a  small  village  south  of  James  river,  in 
view  of  the  metropolis,  one  of  them  passing  through 
Warwick,  another  small  village:  here  was  more  tobac- 
co, of  course  more  devastation  followed. 

The  tobacco  war  being  finished,  our  small  squadron 
of  armed  vessels  lying  in  the  river,  here  very  narrow, 
became  the  next  object  of  the  British  detachment. 
This  naval  force  had  been  collected  for  the  purpose  of 
co-operating  with  the  French  expedition  from  Newport 
against  Portsmouth,  which  proved  abortive;  and  among 
other  ills  flowing  from  the  abortion,  was  the  loss  of 
this  little  squadron.  The  commodore  was  very  politely 
summoned  to  surrender,  to  which  summons  he  bid 
defiance,  and  declaring  "  his  determination  to  defend 
himself  to  the  last  extremity."  Quick  two  sixes  and 
two  grasshoppers  were  brought  to  bear  upon  him; 
when  he  as  quickly  scuttled  and  set  fire  to  his  vessels, 
escaping  with  his  crew  to  the  northern  banks  of  the 
riven  one  way  of  "  holding  out  to  the  last  extremity," 
but  not   that   commonly   understood   by   the   term. 
Reaching  Manchester,  general  Phillips  renewed  hos- 
tility upon  tobacco,  of  which  great  quantities  were 
found  in  the  warehouses;  this  village,  although  in  sight 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      25 

of  Richmond,  being  saved  by  the  intervening  river 
from  sharing  with  the  metropolis  in  Arnold's  ravages. 
Nothing  now  remained  on  the  south  side  of  James  ri- 
ver, below  the  falls,  for  British  fire;  all  the  tobacco, 
wirh  all  our  valuables  within  reach,  were  burnt,  or  con- 
veyed on  board  ship.  It  was  necessary  to  cross  to  Rich- 
mond, or  to  lay  aside  the  torch.  The  former  measure 
was  the  one  desired,  and  would  have  been  executed, 
had  not  the  opportune  arrival,  on  the  preceding  even- 
ing, of  the  marquis  de  la  Fayette,  with  his  New  Eng- 
land regulars,  put  an  insuperable  bar  to  the  project. 
No  bridge  then  united  the  two  shores,  and  no  maritime 
aid  was  at  hand  to  accelerate  a  passage,  now  to  be 
effected  only  by  the  bayonet,  covered  by  adequate  and 
commanding  batteries.  The  British  force  under  Phil- 
lips was  between  three  and  four  thousand,  fully  ade- 
quate of  itself  to  have  prepared  a  bridge  of  boats,  and 
to  have  forced  its  way  across;  but  nature  had  bestowed 
upon  the  north  side  of  the  river  heights  commanding 
effectually  both  shores.  The  marquis,  strengthened* 

*  Whenever  the  commitment  of  our  militia  in  battle  with  re- 
gulars occurs,  the  heart  of  the  writer  is  rent  with  painful  emo- 
tions; knowing,  as  he  does,  the  waste  of  life  resulting  from  the 
Stupid  cruel  policy.  Can  there  be  any  system  devised  by  the  wit 
of  man,  more  the  compound  of  inhumanity,  of  murder,  and  of 
waste  of  resources?  Ought  any  government  to  be  respected, 
which,  when  peace  permits  substitution  of  a  better  system,  ne- 
glects to  avail  itself  of  the  opportunity?  Was  a  father  to  put  his 
son,  with  his  small-sword  drawn  for  the  first  time,  against 
an  experienced  swordsman,  would  not  his  neighbors  exclaim* 

Vol.  II.  D 


26  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

by  two  thousand  militia,  presented  a  respectable  force, 
better  appropriated  to  marches  and  countermarches, 
waiting  for  the  assistance  which  time  and  opportunity 
never  fail  to  present,  than  for  the  close  and  stubborn 
conflicts  which  defences  of  posts  and  resistance  to  river 
passages  are  sure  to  produce.  Had  Phillips  been  in 
Richmond,  and  the  marquis  in  Manchester,  the  river 
would  have  been  passed  with  ease.  Such  is  the  value 
of  what  is  called  the  advantage  of  ground  in  war.  Re- 
linquishing his  design,  general  Phillips  quitted  Man- 
chester, marching  down  the  south  side  of  the  river  to 
Bermuda  Hundred;  the  only  spot  in  the  state  which 
retained  the  old  Anglican  term  brought  over  by  the 
first  settlers;  situated  on  the  south  shore  of  the  James, 
at  its  confluence  with  the  Appomatox  river.  Although 
no  tobacco  warehouses,  with  their  contents,  remained 
to  attract  the  exertions  of  British  valor,  yet  various 
articles  presented  themselves  in  this  ill-fated  district, 
which,  exciting  cupidity,  could  not  fail  in  being  taken 
into  safe  keeping  by  this  formidable  army. 

When  governments  adopt  the  policy  of  plunder  and 
conflagration,  they  owe  to  the  world,  as  well  as  to  their 
nation,  the  justification  of  such  departure  from  the  li- 
beral usage  of  war.  In  every  condition  of  things  such 
justification  is  difficult;  in  this  state  of  affairs  it  was 
impracticable.  The  subjugation  of  the  weakest  portion 

murdeixr!  vile  murderer!  Just  so  acts  the  government;  and  yet 
our  parents  are  all  satisfied;  although,  whenever  war  takes  place, 
their  sons  are  to  be  led  to  the  altar  of  blood.  Dreadful  apathy! 
shocking  coldness  to  our  progeny! 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      27 

of  the  Union,  to  which  alone  all  the  disposable  force 
of  Great  Britain  had  been  and  was  devoted,  began  to 
be  viewed  as  chimerical  even  by  the  British  officers. 
The  battle  of  Guilford  had  fixed  an  impression  on  the 
condition  of  the  war,  which  audibly  declared  the  futi- 
lity even  of  victory  itself.  To  burn  and  to  destroy, 
where  no  hope  of  effecting  the  object  could  exist  but 
with  the  infatuated,  was  not  less  cruel  than  disgraceful. 
That  the  only  people  in  the  world,  understanding  and 
enjoying  political  liberty,  powerful  and  enlightened, 
the  brethren  of  Locke,  of  Newton,  and  of  Hampden, 
should  encourage,  by  their  example,  a  return  to  bar- 
barism, affords  a  melancholy  proof  of  the  inefficacy  of 
the  arts  and  the  sciences,  the  sweets  of  civilization, 
nay,  even  of  liberty  itself,  over  passion  supported  by 
power.  The  British  nation  guided  by  ministers  with- 
out talents,  disappointment  could  not  but  ensue  to 
many  of  their  enterprises;  which,  embittering  the  heart 
instead  of  correcting  the  head,  produced  this  baneful 
system,  so  destructive  to  the  comfort  first  of  the  far- 
mers of  Connecticut,  now  of  the  planters  of  Virginia; 
heaping  up  a  stock  of  irritation  and  hate,  to  be  dissi- 
pated only  by  the  force  of  time. 

Opposite  to  Bermuda  Hundred  is  City  Point,  where 
Phillips  had  disembarked  when  proceeding  to  Peters- 
burg; the  fleet  continuing  in  its  harbor,  the  British 
general  reembarked  his  army,  and  fell  down  the  river. 

The  marquis  La  Fayette,  informed  by  his  light  par- 
ties of  the  movement  of  the  enemy,  followed  cautiously 
on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  until  he  reached  the  head 


28  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

waters  of  the  Chickohominy,  one  of  the  branches  of 
James  river,  behind  which  he  took  post.  Here  he 
learned,  by  his  exploring  parties,  that  the  British  fleet 
was  reascending  the  river;  when,  breaking  up  from 
Chickohominy,  the  marquis  hastened  back  to  Rich- 
mond. 

On  his  route  he  was  informed,  that  Phillips  was 
again  disembarking  his  army  on  the  south  side  of  the 
river;  one  division  at  Brandon,  the  seat  of  Benja- 
min Harrison,  esq.,  and  the  second  division  at  City 
Point.  Persuaded  that  the  enemy's  present  object  was 
the  possession  of  Petersburg,  for  the  purpose  of  meet- 
ing lord  Cornwallis,  whose  approach  to  Halifax  was 
known,  La  Fayette  determined  to  move  by  forced 
marches  in  that  direction.  The  British  general  ad- 
vancing with  equal  rapidity,  and  being  nearer  to  Pe- 
tersburg, reached  it  first.  Phillips  had  flattered  himself, 
that  the  powerful  advantage  derived  from  the  celerity 
and  ease  with  which  his  army  might  be  conveyed  by 
water,  would  enable  him  to  strike  decisively  the  Ame- 
rican general,  whom  he  hoped  to  allure  low  down  the 
neck  formed  by  the  James  and  Chickohominy.  While 
occupied  in  the  incipient  step  to  this  end,  he  received 
lord  Cornwallis's  despatch,  forwarded,  as  has  been 
before  mentioned,  when  that  general  commenced  his 
march  from  Wilmington;  and  therefore  hurried  to 
Petersburg,  the  designated  point  of  junction.  Though 
young  and  enterprising,  La  Fayette  was  too  sagacious 
to  have  risked  the  bold  measure  of  occupying  Peters- 
burg, even  had  he  been  free  to  act  as  his  own  judg- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      29 

merit  might  direct;  but  acting,  as  he  did,  in  a  subor- 
dinate character,  he  never  could  have  been  induced  to 
violate  orders.  Major  general. Greene,  commanding  in 
the  Southern  Department,  directed  the  operations  in 
Virginia  as  well  as  in  Carolina;  and  apprehending  loss 
from  temerity,  he  enjoined,  first  on  baron  Steuben, 
and  afterwards  upon  his  successor,  the  preservation  of 
the  army,  by  avoiding  general  action,  and  confining  his 
operations  to  the  "  petit  guerre;"  convinced  that  the 
steady  adherence  to  such  system  only  could  save  the 
South.  It  is  not  to  be  presumed,  that,  with  such  in- 
structions from  his  superior,  at  the  head  of  a  force 
inferior  to  that  under  Phillips,  with  a  few  lately  raised 
cavalry,  the  American  general  would  have  hazarded 
the  certain  danger  awaiting  him,  from  placing  himself 
between  Cornwallis  and  the  army  under  Phillips.  But 
in  his  difficult  situation,  it  was  necessary  to  preserve 
appearances,  to  keep  the  country  in  good  spirits,  as 
well  as  to  render  his  soldiers  strict  in  attention  to  duty, 
and  therefore  never  so  susceptible  of  discipline  as  when 
impressed  with  the  conviction  that  battle  is  at  hand. 
Finding  the  British  general  in  occupation  of  Peters- 
burg, La  Fayette  fell  back;  and  recrossing  the  James 
river,  took  a  position  upon  its  northern  margin,  some 
miles  below  Richmond.  Here  he  exerted  himself  to 
increase  the  ability  of  his  army,  by  diminishing  his 
baggage,  establishing  system  and  punctuality  in  its 
several  departments,  and  introducing  throughout  rigid 
discipline.  Nor  was  he  unmindful  of  the  peril  which 
awaited  the  public  stores  again  collected  in  Richmond; 


30  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

notwithstanding  the  severe  admonition  lately  re- 
ceived from  brigadier  Arnold.  To  their  removal  he 
administered  all  the  aid  in  his  power,  which  was 
effected  in  due  time,  though  unhappily  not  to  a  pro- 
per place. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     31 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

1  HE  hostile  army  being  separated,  general  Greene 
turned  his  attention  to  the  improvement  of  his  unre- 
sisted possession  of  the  field. 

Whether  to  approach  Wilmington,  with  a  view  of 
opposing  Cornwallis's  operations  at  the  threshold;  or 
to  take  a  more  salubrious  and  distant  position,  with 
Virginia  in  his  rear,  and  there  to  await  his  lordship's 
advance  towards  his  long  meditated  victim,  became  at 
first  the  subject  of  deliberation.  Very  soon  a  plan  of 
action  was  submitted  to  the  general,  radically  repug- 
nant to  those  which  had  risen  into  notice,  and  which 
combating  both  in  principle,  reduced  the  discussion  to 
a  single  point:  "  Shall  the  army  wait  upon  the  enemy, 
or  shall  it  instantly  advance  upon  Cambden." 

The  proposer  suggested,  that,  leaving  Cornwallis  to 
act  as  he  might  choose,  the  army  should  be  led  back 
into  South  Carolina.  That  the  main  body  should  move 
upon  Cambden,  while  the  light  corps,  taking  a  lower 
direction,  and  joining  brigadier  Marion,  should  break 
down  all  intermediate  posts,  completely  demolishing 
communication  between  Cambden  and  Ninety -Six 
with  Charleston;  and  thus  placing  the  British  force  in 
South  Carolina  in  a  triangle,  Charleston  and  Ninety- 
Six  forming  the  base,  insulated  as  to  co-operation,  and 


32  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

destitute  of  supplies,  even  of  provision,  for  any  length 
of  time. 

From  the  first  moment  the  substitute  was  presented 
to  the  mind  of  Greene,  it  received  his  decided  pre- 
ference. There  was  a  splendor  in  the  plan  which  will 
always  attract  a  hero.  Yet  the  stake  was  great,  the 
subject  difficult,  and  powerful  arguments,  pressed  by 
deservedly  influential  soldiers,  maintained  the  pro- 
priety of  adhering  to  the  first  contemplated  system. 

They  contended,  that  the  battle  of  Guilford  had 
given  a  superiority  to  the  American  arms  which  might 
be  preserved;  and  if  preserved,  the  liberation  of  the 
South  must  follow.  They  admitted  the  insalubrity  of 
the  lower  country,  but  denied  the  necessity  of  placing 
the  army  in  it;  as  the  healthy  region  was  sufficiently 
near  to  the  enemy  for  all  the  purposes  of  offence,  when- 
ever he  should  advance.  They  laid  it  down  as  a  car- 
dinal principle,  never  to  be  relinquished  or  even 
slighted,  that  the  safety  of  the  South  hung  upon  the 
safety  of  Virginia;  and  the  sure  way  to  yield  to  that 
state  full  protection,  was  to  face  Cornwallis.  They 
reinforced  this  argument  by  dwelling,  with  much 
emphasis,  upon  the  singular  fitness  of  Greene  to 
cope  with  his  lordship,  as  well  as  the  superior  capa- 
city of  his  army  to  contend  with  that  under  Cornwallis. 
That  the  British  general  and  the  British  soldier  had 
been  taught,  through  the  keen  and  trying  struggles  just 
concluded,  the  value  of  their  enemy — a  consideration 
entitled  to  weight;  and  that  this  value  of  character 
would  be  thrown  away,  by  abandoning  that  army  on 
which  it  would  always  most  bear. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      33 

That  the  British  dragoons,  so  dreadful  heretofore, 
had  been  rendered  comparatively  innocent  by  the  su- 
perior ability  of  the  American  horse;  and  that,  with- 
drawing the  curb  now  imposed  upon  its  prowess, 
would  be  sure  to  restore  it  to  its  pristine  sway  and 
effect.  They  contended,  by  observing  that  our  conti- 
nental force  exceeded  in  number  the  army  of  Corn- 
wallis,  that  should  his  lordship  even  abandon  Wil- 
mington, which  was  not  probable,  because  injudicious, 
he  would  only  bring  himself  to  an  equality;  and  the 
state  of  North  Carolina,  already  in  high  spirits  from 
what  had  passed,  would  exert  itself  to  give  to  us  the 
weight  of  numbers,  so  long  as  it  found  the  contest 
directed  by  a  general  deep  in  its  confidence:  whereas,, 
the  relinquishment  of  the  state,  with  the  enemy  in  its 
bosom,  as  proposed,  would  be  sure  to  excite  gloom 
and  apprehension,  which  would  infallibly  lead  to  the 
ancient  state  of  apathy,  the  fatal  effects  of  which  had 
been  severely  experienced. 

In  opposition,  it  was  admitted,  that  the  primary 
object  in  all  the  measures  to  be  adopted  was  the 
safety  of  Virginia,  as  it  could  not  be  denied  that  on  its 
preservation  depended  the  restoration  of  the  subju- 
gated states;  and  the  various  arguments  adduced 
were  acknowledged  to  be  correct  and  cogent,  but 
not  entitled  to  that  preponderance  which  was  so 
strenuously  pressed.  It  was  urged,  as  the  surest  mode 
of  reaching  right  conclusions,  to  lay  down  the  proba- 
ble conduct  of  the  enemy,  and  to  compare  the  effects 

Vol.  II.  E 


34  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

of  the  northern  or  southern  movement  upon  that  con- 
duet.  The  British  general  would  either  return  to  South 
Carolina,  to  uphold  the  ground  already  gained — or, 
leaving  his  conquest  to  the  force  left  for  its  protec- 
tion, he  would  advance  upon  Virginia.  Should  he  re- 
turn to  South  Carolina — ignorant  as  for  days  he  must 
be  of  our  movement,  and  incapable,  from  his  crippled 
condition,  of  immediate  operation,  should  he  even  be 
so  fortunate  as  to  learn  with  celerity  the  design  of  his 
foe — very  probably  we  should  in  the  interval  obtain  an 
advantage  which  the  British  general  would  not  be  able 
soon  to  retrieve,  even  with  his  united  force.  But, 
granting  that  we  should  fail  in  this  expectation;  and 
that  Cornwallis  should,  by  crossing  the  Pedee  at  the 
Cheravv  hills,  force  the  light  corps  and  Marion  to  fall 
back  upon  Greene,  relieve  Cambden,  and  unite  to  his 
army  its  garrison,  still  we  should  be  safe,  and  greatly 
the  gainer.  For,  reinforced  as  would  be  general  Greene 
by  the  corps  of  Marion,  of  Sumpter,  and  of  Pickens, 
he  would  preserve  a  numerical  superiority  over  the  ene- 
my, although  strengthened  by  all  the  disposable  troops 
under  lord  Rawdon.  The  quality  of  these  corps,  and 
the  well  known  ability  of  their  leaders,  placed  them 
far  above  any  force  to  be  derived  from  North  Carolina, 
should  general  Greene  renew  his  contest  in  that  state. 
We  should,  therefore,  be  in  better  condition  to  risk 
battle  by  going  to  the  south  than  by  continuing  here; 
and  we  should  enjoy  the  immense  advantage  of  ren- 
dering a  campaign  from  which  so  much  was  expected 
fey  the  enemy,   entirely  abortive;    inasmuch  as  we 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     35 

brought  our  opponent  back  to  the  very  ground  which 
he  had  left  months  before,  when  menacing  the  subju- 
gation of  North  Carolina  instantly,  and  that  of  Virginia 
remotely.  This  single  good  would  be  of  itself  adequate 
compensation;  as  it  would  confirm  the  superiority  of 
our  arms,  and  demonstrate,  even  to  a  British  cabinet, 
the  folly  of  persevering  in  the  hopeless,  destructive 
conflict. 

But  supposing  lord  Cornwallis  should  not  return  to 
take  care  of  his  conquest, — inasmuch  as  it  would  une- 
quivocally declare  the  mastership  of  his  opponent,  and 
when  we  reflect  how  often  the  best  and  wisest  men 
prefer  any  course  to  that  which  is  coupled  with  ad- 
mission of  their  own  inferiority,  we  might  presume 
that  his  lordship  would  follow  in  the  beaten  tract, — 
what  will  be  the  consequences?  The  states  of  Georgia 
and  South  Carolina  restored  to  the  Union;  the  dis- 
affected in  North  Carolina  restored  to  their  senses,  by 
feeling  unequivocally  the  frivolity  of  British  conquest; 
North  Carolina  in  a  capacity  to  contribute  its  portion 
of  annual  force;  and  Virginia  saved  from  that  devas- 
tating flight  of  human  vultures  which  follow  in  the 
train  of  conquering  armies,  whose  appetite  for  plunder 
is  insatiate  so  long  as  objects  of  prey  are  attainable. 
How  can  you  so  effectually  save  Virginia,  it  was  ask- 
ed, as  by  withholding  from  her  territory  a  visitation 
so  dreadful,  the  precursor  of  famine  and  of  plague? 
This  was  completely  effected  by  moving  to  the  south; 
as  the  contest  for  the  Carolinas  continuing,  that  state 
•f  quiet  submission  could  not  take  place — and  that 


36  Memoirs  of  the  JVar  in  the 

condition  must  ensue  before  these  destroyers  of  pro- 
perty would  adventure  to  approach  a  new  theatre  of 
plunder. 

This  reasoning,  however  respectfully  regarded,  did 
not  persuade  the  advocates  for  the  original  plan  to 
concur.  They  had  felt  the  degradation  of  one  retreat 
through  North  Carolina,  and  they  could  not  be  readily 
induced  to  advise  the  risk  of  its  repetition,  which  was 
deemed  the  infallible  consequence  of  a  return  to  South 
Carolina  should  lord  Cornwallis  act  the  part  which 
his  finished  military  reputation  induced  them  to  ex- 
pect. They  persevered  in  maintaining  the  propriety  of 
holding  Virginia  as  our  primary  object;  and  contend- 
ed, that  the  proposed  substitute  did  effectually  reduce 
her  to  a  secondary  station,  however  sincerely  its 
author  shared  in  the  general  policy  of  giving  to  her, 
in  all  our  measures,  a  decided  preference.  They  re- 
jected the  idea  of  the  British  general's  leaving  general 
Greene  in  the  undisturbed  pursuit  of  his  object;  and 
although,  at  first,  his  return  would  convey  the  ac- 
knowledgment presumed,  yet  the  effect  of  this  ac 
knowledgment  would  be  short-lived,  as  the  superior 
force  of  the  enemy  would  enable  him  to  push  Greene 
a  second  time  into  Virginia;  and  the  sole  benefit  we 
should  derive  from  this  perilous  movement  would  be 
entering  Virginia  a  few  weeks  later,  greatly  over- 
weighed  by  the  loss  of  that  superiority  in  arms,  now 
possessed,  and  to  be  sacrificed  by  a  second  retreat. 

That  highly  as  were  respected  the  brigadiers  Ma- 
rion, Sumpter,  and  Pickens,  and  much  as  was  prized 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      37 

the  tried  courage  of  their  associates,  yet  the  effect  of 
their  co-operation  was  overrated:  but,  even  admitting 
it  to  the  presumed  extent,  a  movement  of  such  mag- 
nitude never  could  be  warranted  by  a  reliance  on 
means  so  precarious. 

The  discussions  being  now  extremely  narrowed, 
by  presuming  on  the  British  general's  return  into 
South  Carolina,  it  was  only  necessary  to  demonstrate, 
that  the  same  perilous  retreat  would  not  necessarily 
ensue,  to  secure  the  adoption  of  the  substituted  plan 
of  operations. 

The  fact  of  equality  in  force  was  reasserted,  and 
proved  by  recurrence  to  official  data.  The  precarious- 
ness  of  militia  succor  could  not  be  denied;  but  it  was 
urged  that  the  South  Carolina  corps,  above  designated, 
formed  an  exception  to  the  general  rule.  What  ren- 
dered our  retreat  in  the  course  of  the  past  winter  so 
difficult  and  dangerous  was,  not  only  a  numerical  infe- 
riority,* but  an  inferiority  in  quality  also,  and  a  sepa- 
ration of  the  two  divisions  of  the  army.  Now  the 
army  was  united;  the  untried  battalions  had  now  gone 
through  severe  service,  and  had  confessedly  improved 

*  Two  of  our  continental  regiments,  the  second  of  Maryland 
and  the  fi;st  of  Virginia,  were  composed  of  raw  troops,  although 
the  officers  were  experienced.  These  regiments  had,  in  the 
course  of  the  preceding  service,  been  much  improved.  The  two 
divisions  of  our  army  being  at  a  great  distance  from  each  other, 
Greene  was  necessarily  compelled  to  fall  back;  and  we  find  that, 
with  all  his  exertions,  he  could  not  reunite  until  he  reached 
Guilford  Court-house. 


38  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

in  soldiership;  its  numerical  strength  was  now  at  least 
equal,  and  would  be  sure  to  be  increased  by  the  adop- 
tion of  timely  measures  to  secure  reinforcements; 
whereas  that  of  the  enemy  could  not  increase,  and 
must  insensibly  diminish  without  battle. 

That  the  strong  and  faithful  country  west  of  Char- 
lotte gave  a  safe  retreat;  that  a  powerful  corps  of  the 
King's  Mountain  militia  could  be  readily  brought  to 
meet  us  in  that  neighborhood,  or  upon  the  Yadkin,  if 
deemed  advisable  further  to  retire.  With  this  rein- 
forcement, the  corps  of  South  Carolina,  and  our 
superior  cavalry,  general  Greene  would  be  much 
better  prepared  to  appeal  to  the  sword  than  he  was 
when  he  fought  at  Guilford  Court-house,  where  all 
admitted  that  he  gained  an  advantage.  That  lord  Corn- 
wallis  must  either  sit  down  in  the  vicinity  of  Cambden, 
to  guard  South  Carolina, — an  inert  condition,  as  foreign 
to  his  disposition  as  it  was  incompatible  with  his  duty, 

or  he  would,  in  conformity  to  his  temper  and  his 
duty,  advance  upon  general  Greene.  That,  should  he 
presume  upon  a  repetition  of  retreat,  he  would  not 
only  be  disappointed,  but  would  probably  be  destroy- 
ed; for  the  moment  he  passed  Lynch's  creek  his 
danger  commenced,  and  increased  every  step  he  took 
towards  the  Yadkin.  He  would,  therefore,  be  com- 
pelled to  be  satisfied  with  protecting  his  line  of  posts 
from  Cambden  to  Augusta,  or  he  would  again  en- 
counter the  peril  of  a  Guilford  Court-house  victory, 
•ut  of  which  he  would  not  so  happily  now  escape  as  he 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     39 

then  had  done.  By  taking  the  first  course,  he  lost 
a  year:  by  taking  the  second,  he  lost  himself. 

That,  from  the  Yadkin,  Greene  could  readily  reach 
Virginia,  if  necessary,  and  should  the  British  general 
forbear  to  approach  him,  and  in  a  few  weeks  drive  all 
the  force  collected  there  to  the  ocean — the  asylum  of 
Englishmen — and  return  to  South  Carolina  in  time 
for  a  winter  campaign. 

These,  with  other  arguments  equally  forcible,  were 
offered  in  maintenance  of  the  other  system;  and  the 
effect  upon  Virginia,  which  would  probably  ensue, 
should  the  Briiish  general  proceed  thither  instead  of 
returning  to  South  Carolina  as  presumed  by  the 
author  of  the  substitute,  was  examined  in  all  its 
bearings.* 

General  Greene  gave  to  the  subject  that  full  and 
critical  investigation  which  it  merited,  and  which,  by 
long  habit,  had  become  familiar  to  his  mind.  He  per- 
ceived advantages  and  disadvantages  attendant  upon 
either  course,  and  felt  for  the  evils  to  which  Virginia 
must  be  exposed,  whichever  plan  he  might  adopt. 
Doubting  whether  her  sufferings  would  not  be  in- 
creased rather  than  mitigated  by  rendering  her  the 
seat  of  the  southern  war;  and  convinced  that  he  had 

*  No  man  was  more  familiarized  to  dispassionate  and  minute 
research  than  was  general  Greene.  He  was  patient  in  hearing 
every  thing  offered,  never  interrupting  or  slighting  what  was 
said;  and,  having  possessed  himself  of  the  subject  fully,  he  would 
enter  into  a  critical  comparison  of  the  opposite  arguments,  con- 
vincing his  hearers,  as  he  progressed,  with  the  propriety  of  the 
decision  he  was  about  to  pronounce. 


40  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

much  to  hope,  and  little  to  apprehend,  from  returning 
into  South  Carolina,  he  determined  to  carry  the  war 
into  that  state. 

No  sooner  had  he  decided,  than  he  commenced 
operations.  The  legion  of  Lee,  with  captain  Oldham's 
detachment,  was  ordered  to  move  on  the  subsequent 
morning  (6th  of  April),  and  the  army  was  put  in 
motion  the  following  day.  Previous  to  the  general's 
departure  from  Deep  river,  he  communicated  his  in- 
tention to  the  brigadiers  Sumpter  and  Pickens,  and 
required  those  generals  to  assemble  all  the  force  they 
could  collect  for  the  purpose  of  co-operation. 

To  the  first  he  signified  his  desire  that  he  would  be 
prepared  to  join  him  when  he  should  reach  the  vicinity 
of  Cambden:  to  the  last  he  expressed  his  wishes  that 
he  would  invest  Ninety-Six,  or,  at  all  events,  coun- 
teract any  attempt  to  reinforce  Cambden  from  that 
post.  To  the  commander  in  chief  he  made  known  at 
large  his  plan,  with  his  hopes  and  his  duubts,  assuring 
him  that  he  should  take  every  measure  to  avoid  a  mis- 
fortune; "  but  necessity  obliges  me  to  commit  myself 
to  chance,  and  if  any  accident  should  attend  me,  I  trust 
my  friends  will  do  justice  to  my  reputation." 

Lieutenant  colonel  Lee  being  instructed  to  join 
Marion,  was  directed  to  deliver  to  that  officer  the 
general's  despatch,  and  to  assure  him  of  the  entire 
confidence  reposed  in  his  faithful  efforts  to  maintain 
his  share  in  the  expected  co-operation. 

Lord  Cornwallis  had  not  long  indulged  in  the  en- 
jcwment  of  repose  and  abundance,  before  his  active 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     41 

mind  turned  to  the  probable  measures  of  his  antagonist, 
and,  shortly  after  he  reached  Wilmington,  he  advised 
lord  Rawdon,  commanding  in  South  Carolina,  of  his 
apprehensions,  least  general  Greene  might  direct  his 
attention  to  the  recovery  of  the  lost  states. 

If,  as  I  believe,  a  general  is  sure  to  act  wisely  when 
he  takes  the  course  most  dreaded  by  his  adversary, 
the  late  decision  of  general  Greene  was  indubitably 
correct.  For  never  was  a  leader  more  affected,  than 
was  Cornwallis,  by  the  disclosure  of  his  enemy's  ob- 
ject. Day  after  day  did  his  lordship  revolve  in  his 
mind  the  difficulties  of  his  situation,  seeking  the  most 
eligible  course  to  diminish  or  to  surmount  them.* 

Sometimes  he  determined  to  follow  Greene  into 
South  Carolina,  and  to  punish  him  for  his  temerity; 
at  other  times  he  would  proceed  to  Virginia,  and,  by 
the  rapidity  of  his  success  in  that  quarter,  compel 
Greene  to  abandon  his  object,  and  hasten  to  its  relief. 
At  length  he  decided  in  favor  of  the  latter  measure; 

*  Lord  Cornwallis  was  exceedingly  perplexed  in  making  up 
his  decision,  and  at  length  took  the  course  which  risked  all  to 
gain  all,  and,  as  generally  happens,  he  lost  all.  Thus  it  often  oc- 
curs in  war.  The  great  Frederic  of  Prussia  committed  the  same 
error  before  Prague,  when  he  attempted  to  force  the  intrenched 
camp  of  marshal  Daun,  and  afterwards  at  Cunnersdorf  against 
the  Russians  and  marshal  Laudohn.  Once  the  resolution  to  fol- 
low Greene  was  not  only  adopted  but  in  execution,  a  portion  of 
the  British  army  having  passed  to  the  southern  banks  of  Cape 
Fear.  This  decision  being  soon  after  changed,  the  troops  wer? 
recalled. 

Vol.  II.  F 


42  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

persuaded  that  Greene  had  gained  so  much  time  as 
would  probably  enable  him  to  strike  his  first  blow,  in 
which,  if  he  failed,  his  presence  would  not  be  requisite, 
and  if  he  succeeded,  his  lordship's  approach  might 
place  his  own  army  in  extreme  danger. 

This  reasoning  was  plausible,  but  not  solid;  for,  by 
taking  the  route  by  Cheraw  hill  to  Nelson's  ferry,  he 
held  himself  safe,  even  had  Greene  succeeded  against 
Rawdon — an  event  which,  however  practicable,  was 
not  to  be  effected  under  many  weeks,  unless  fortune 
should  indeed  be  extremely  propitious  to  the  American 
general. 

Lee,  in  obedience  to  his  orders,  took  the  route 
towards  Cross  creek,  which,  it  was  inferred,  would 
very  much  conceal  his  real  object,  by  inducing  the 
British  general  to  believe  that  Greene  proposed  to 
place  himself  in  his  neighborhood. 

After  progressing  in  this  course,  as  long  as  was 
compatible  with  its  speedy  union  with  Marion,  the 
light  corps  turned  to  the  right,  and,  by  a  very  expe- 
ditious march,  gained  Drowning  creek,  a  branch  of 
Little  Pedee.  In  a  large  field,  on  the  southern  side  of 
this  stream,  Lee  encamped  for  the  night,  when  a  very 
extraordinary  occurrence  took  place,  worthy,  from  its 
singularity,  of  relation. 

Between  two  and  three  in  the  morning,  the  officer 
of  the  day  was  informed  that  a  strange  noise  had  been 
heard  in  front  of  the  piquet,  stationed  on  the  great  road 
near  the  creek,  resembling  that  occasioned  by  men 
moving  through  a  swamp. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     43 

Presently,  and  towards  that  quarter,  the  sentinel 
fired,  which  was  followed  by  the  sound  of  the  bugle 
calling  in  the  horse  patroles,  as  was  the  custom  on  the 
approach  of  the  enemy.  The  troops  were  immediately 
summoned  to  arms,  and  arrayed  for  defence.  The  of- 
ficer of  the  day  reported  very  particularly  every  thing 
which  had  passed,  adding  that  several  of  the  sentinels 
and  one  patrole  concurred  in  asserting,  that  they  heard 
plainly  the  progress  of  horsemen,  concealing  with  the 
utmost  care  their  advance.   Never  was  a  more  per- 
plexing moment:  yet,  knowing  as  lieutenant  colonel 
Lee  did,  that  no  enemy  could  be  near  him,  unless 
lord  Cornwallis,  devising  Greene's  plan  and  Lee's 
route,  had  pushed  a  body  from  Wilmington,  with 
orders  to  proceed  until  it  reached  Drowning  creek, 
where  Lee  would  probably  pass  it,  for  the  purpose  of 
intercepting  him,   he   was  induced  to  consider  the 
intelligence  as  the  fabrication  of  imagination,  which 
sometimes  leads  the  most  serene  and  circumspect  into 
error. 

In  a  few  moments,  in  a  different  quarter  of  our  po- 
sition, another  sentinel  fired,  and  soon  afterwards  the 
same  report,  from  that  point,  was  made,  as  had  just 
been  received  from  the  other.  Appearances  now  were 
so  strong  as  to  dissipate  the  first  conclusion,  and  what 
was  deemed  imaginary,  was  felt  to  be  real. 

A  change  in  the  formation  of  the  troops  was  made 
to  correspond  with  this  last  annunciation  of  the  enemy's 
approach. 

This  was  not  completed  before,  in  a  different  direc- 


44  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

tion,  we  heard  the  discharge  of  a  third  sentinel.  Now 
the  most  excruciating  sensations  were  experienced:  it 
appeared  as  if  these  different  feelings  of  our  position 
were  wisely  and  dexterously  made,  preparatory  to  a 
general  assault,  to  take  effect  as  soon  as  the  approach 
of  light  should  warrant  its  commencement.  All  that 
could  be  done,  was  done.  The  piquets  and  sentinels 
held  their  stations;  the  horse  patroles  had  been  called 
in;  and  the  corps  changed  its  position  in  silence  and 
with  precision  upon  every  new  annunciation,  having 
in  view  the  conjoint  object  of  keeping  the  fires  between 
us  and  the  enemy,  and  holding  the  horse  in  the  rear  of 
the  infantry.  During  our  last  evolution  to  this  end,  we 
were  again  interrupted  by  the  discharge  of  the  line  of 
sentinels  in  our  rear,  along  the  great  road.  Thus  the 
enemy  had  traversed  the  major  segment  of  our  posi- 
tion, and  had  at  length  fixed  himself  upon  the  road  of 
our  march. 

No  doubt  now  remained,  not  only  of  the  enemy- 
being  upon  us,  but  that  he  was  in  force,  and  well  un- 
derstood his  object.  He  had  reconnoitred  with  pene- 
tration and  perseverance,  and  had  ultimately  placed 
himself  in  the  very  spot  most  certainly  promising 
success. 

To  attempt  to  regain  Deep  river  was  idle,  if  practica- 
ble; for  Greene  must  now  be  two  or  three  day's  march 
towards  Cambden,  the  intermediate  country  hostile, 
and  the  British  army  within  striking  distance  of  some 
points  of  our  route.  Marion  only  could  afford  safety; 
and  he  was  on  the  south  of  the  Pedee,  at  least  two 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     45 

days'  march  from  us.  The  review  of  our  situation  ad- 
mitted but  one  conclusion, — that  hope  of  aid  could  not 
be  indulged,  and  that  we  must  rely  upon  ourselves  only. 
Brave  soldiers  can  always  be  safely  trusted  with  their 
situation.  Lee,  passing  along  the  line  of  infantry,  made 
known  our  condition:  reminding  them  of  their  high 
reputation;  enjoining  profound  silence  throughout  the 
approaching  contest;  and  assuring  them,  with  their 
customary  support,  he  had  no  doubt  but  that  he 
should  force  his  way  to  the  Pedee,  where  we  should 
find  all  that  was  desirable.  To  the  cavalry  He  briefly 
communicated  the  dangers  which  surrounded  us, 
mingled  with  expressions  of  his  thorough  confidence 
that  every  man  would  do  his  duty,  and  concluded  by 
pressing  upon  the  officers  not  to  permit  any  partial 
success  to  tempt  pursuit,  without  orders,  or  to  relax 
circumspection,  but  to  bear  in  mind,  that  the  contest 
before  us  was  not  the  affair  of  an  hour,  but  might  last 
for  days. 

This  address  was  answered  by  whispers  of  applause; 
and  having  formed  in  columns,  one  of  horse,  and  the 
other  of  foot,  Lee  waited  anxiously  for  the  break  of 
day,  the  presumed  signal  for  action. 

It  soon  appeared,  and  the  columns  advanced  to  the 
great  road,  infantry  in  front,  baggage  in  the  centre, 
and  the  cavalry  in  the  rear.  As  soon  as  the  head  of  the 
column  reached  the  road,  it  turned  to  the  left,  pursu- 
ing the  route  to  the  Pedee.  The  van  officer,  proceeding 
a  few  hundred  yards,  now  got  up  to  the  sentinel  who 
had  fired  last,  and  received  from  him  the  same  account 


46  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

so  often  given  before.  The  enigma  still  remained  un- 
explained, and  the  corps  continued  its  march,  in  slow 
motion,  expecting  every  moment  the  enemy's  fire.  In 
this  state  of  suspense  we  might  have  continued  long, 
had  not  the  van  officer  directed  his  attention  to  the 
road,  for  the  purpose  of  examining  the  trail  of  our 
active  foe,  when,  to  his  astonishment,  he  found  the 
tracks  of  a  large  pack  of  wolves.  It  was  now  evident, 
that  the  presumed  enemy  was  a  troop  of  wild  beasts, 
collected  together,  and  anxious  to  pass  along  their 
usual  route,  when,  finding  it  obstructed,  they  turned 
from  point  to  point  to  pass  through  the  field:  every 
where  fired  upon,  they  continued  widening  their  cir- 
cuit until  they  reached  the  great  road  from  which 
they  had  been  originally  turned.  Our  agitation  vanish- 
ed, and  was  succeeded  by  facetious  glee.  No  where 
does  wit  and  humor  abound  more  than  in  camps;  and 
no  occurrence  was  more  apt  to  elicit  it  than  that  which 
we  had  just  experienced.  Never  was  a  day's  march 
more  pleasant,  being  one  continued  scene  of  good 
humor,  interspersed  with  innocent  flashes  of  wit.  For 
a  time  the  restraint  of  discipline  ceased.    Every  cha- 
racter, not  excepting  the  commandant's,  was  hit;  and 
very  salutary  counsel  was  often  imparted  under  cover 
of  a  joke.  Each  considered  himself  a  dupe,  and  all 
laughing  at  a  credulity,  any  attempt  to  remove  which, 
during  the  scene,  would  have  been  treated  as  insult- 
ing temerity.  The  piquets,  the  patroles,  the  sentinels, 
and  the  officer  of  the  day,  were  marked  as  the  peculiar 
objeots  of  derision.   Wonderful  that  not  one  of  the 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      47 

many  could  distinguish  between  the  movement  of 
wolves  and  soldiers!  They  were  charged  with  dis- 
graceful ignorance,  shameful  stupor,  bordering  close 
upon  rank  cowardice.  Vain  was  the  attempt  of  the  abu- 
sed individuals  to  defend  their  character  and  conduct:  it 
was  the  interest  of  the  many  to  fix  the  supposed  stigma 
on  the  few,  and  the  general  verdict  was  against  them. 
Reaching  a  settlement,  the  corps  halted,  and  for  a 
while  the  remembrance  of  the  ludicrous  occurrence 
of  the  night  yielded  to  the  solicitude  of  every  one  to 
provide  his  breakfast. 

Here  what  had  passed  was  imparted  to  the  inhabi- 
tants, and  the  unintelligible  adventure  was  very  satis- 
factorily solved.  We  were  informed  that  there  had 
been  in  the  field  where  the  corps  had  encamped  a 
store  of  provisions,  collected  for  the  army;  but  that  it 
never  had  been  conveyed  to  camp,  being  too  distant 
from  the  line  of  march.  Being  neglected,  its  contents 
became  putrid:  the  wild  beasts  soon  profited  by  the 
neglect,  and  enjoyed  nightly  the  food  intended  for  the 
soldier.  Having  comprehended  within  our  range  of 
sentinels  this  abandoned  store,  we  had  interrupted 
their  usual  visits,  and  the  circle  which  they  nearly 
completed  was  from  solicitude  to  find  access  to  their 
nightly  repast. 

This  was  what  had  been  termed  "  acute  reconnoi- 
tring," and  "  an  enemy  in  force,  well  understanding  his 
own  views." 

Such  is  frail  man,  in  war  as  well  as  in  peace.  Sub- 
ject  to  be  imposed  upon  by  his  own  conceits,  not- 


48  Memoirs  qfthe  War  in  the 

withstanding  the  remonstrances  of  reason,  and  his 
experience  of  the  delusions  of  credulity.  Yet,  when 
we  consider  that  the  night  was  very  dark,  that  the 
troops  were  waked  from  sleep  to  prepare  fo>  defence, 
and  that  it  was  possible,  though  improbable,  for  the 
British  general  to  have  been  advised  of  the  march  of 
Lee,  in  time  to  strike  him,  our  surprise  at  the  alarm 
excited  will  vanish. 

Having  finished  our  repast,  we  resumed  our  march; 
and,  after  getting  within  a  day's  distance  of  the  Pedee, 
lieutenant  colonel  Lee  despatched  an  officer,  with  a 
small  party  of  dragoons,  to  discover  in  what  part  of 
his  extensive  range  brigadier  Marion  then  was.  The 
officer,  on  reaching  the  river,  learnt  that  the  brigadier, 
when  heard  from,  not  many  days  before,  was  in  the 
swamps  of  Black  river.  This  was  his  general  quarters 
when  he  found  it  necessary  to  retire  from  active  service. 
It  not  only  afforded  safety,  but,  there  being  several 
fertile  plantations  in  one  settlement,  he  was  well  sup- 
plied with  provisions  and  forage.  Marion  received  with 
joy  Lee's  officer,  and  furnished  boats,  which  he  kept 
concealed  on  the  Pedee,  for  the  transportation  of  the 
corps  across  that  river.  On  the  8th  of  March,  Lee 
joined  the  general. 

These  military  friends  had  not  before  met  since 
their  wiredrawn  expedition  against  Georgetown,  and 
very  cordially  rejoiced  at  being  again  united  in  the  great 
attempt  of  wresting  South  Carolina  from  the  enemy. 
The'letter  from  the  general,  inclosing  his  plan  of  opera- 
tions, was  delivered  to  the  brigadier,  and  the  references 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      49 

to  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  fully  explained.  The  evening 
was  devoted  to  repose, and  on  the  next  day  the  two  corps 
quitted  the  dark  and  favorite  recess,  for  the  execution  of 
the  trust  confided  to  them  by  general  Greene.  During 
their  separation  many  had  been  the  vicissitudes  produced 
by  the  fickleness  of  fortune.  Now  blazoning  with  glory, 
then  shading  with  disaster  the  American  standard.  From 
the  battle  of  Guilford,  the  long  wished  reannexation  of 
South  Carolina  and  Georgia  to  the  Union  became  the 
avowed  as  it  had  before  been  the  meditated  object  of  the 
American  general.  Emboldened  by  the  effect  of  that 
well  fought  day,  he  no  longer  veiled  in  the  mysteries 
cf  war  his  object,  but  openly  disclosed  the  end  to 
which  all  his  toils  and  perils  pointed.  North  Carolina 
became  encouraged,  by  finding  that  her  safety  was 
not  now  considered  precarious,  and  that  the  contest 
turned,  not  upon  her  defence,  but  upon  the  expulsion  of 
the  common  enemy  from  her  southern  neighbors.  The 
etherial  spirit  which  had  animated  Marion,  Sumpter, 
and  Pickens,  and  year  after  year  had  sustained,  through 
their  example  and  efforts,  the  unequal  conflict,  had  been 
long  subsiding.  Enthusiasm  is  short-lived;  and  is  soon 
succeeded  by  apathy,  which  deadens  vigorous  exer- 
tion as  fully  as  the  former  promotes  it. 

In  this  state  of  dejection  was  the  country  when 
Greene  entered  South  Carolina.  Lord  Rawdon,  well 
apprized  of  the  feelings  of  the  people,  adopted  mea- 
sures to  give  a  finishing  blow  to  further  resistance. 
Beginning  with  the  eastern  quarter  of  the  state,  where 

Vol.  II.  G 


50  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

opposition  was  still  sustained  by  Marion,  Rawdon  de- 
tached lieutenant  colonel  Watson,  with  five  hundred 
infantry,  towards  Nelson's  ferry,  for  the  purpose  of 
forcing  Marion  to  submission,  or  to  flight  into  North 
Carolina.  Watson  was  sent  from  Cambden  soon  after 
Cornwallis  had  communicated  to  the  commandant 
there  the  victory  obtained  at  Guilford  Court-house; 
and  having  established  a  post  on  the  Santee,  some 
miles  above  Nelson's  ferry,  which  he  fortified,  and 
where  he  deposited  the  baggage  of  his  corps,  he 
continued  his  march  towards  Georgetown;  vainly 
endeavoring  to  induce  Marion,  with  his  inferior  force, 
to  advance  from  his  impenetrable  recess,  in  order  to 
defend  the  country;  and  was,  as  Marion  believed, 
taking  measures  with  a  view  of  entering  into  the 
swamps  and  driving  him  across  the  Pedee, — an  enter- 
prise much  desired  by  him,  and  to  meet  which  he 
was  fully  prepared, — when  the  approach  of  the  corps 
of  Lee  was  announced. 

Active  operations  now  became  practicable,  and  on 
the  evening  of  the  15th,  Marion  and  Lee  took  a  posi- 
tion in  the  open  country,  with  Watson  to  their  left, 
considerably  below  them,  and  on  the  route  for  the  fort 
called  by  his  name,  which  he  had  erected. 

Determined  to  carry  this  post  without  delay,  Marion 
and  Lee  sat  down  before  it  early  in  the  evening;  not 
doubting,  from  the  information  received,  that  the  gar- 
rison must  soon  be  compelled  to  surrender,  for  want 
of  water,  with  which  it  was  supplied  from  an  adjacent 
lake,  and  from  which  the  garrison  might  be  readily 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      51 

and  effectually  secluded.  In  a  very  few  hours  die  cus- 
tomary mode  of  supplying  the  post  with  water  was 
completely  stopped;  and  had  the  information  received 
been  correct,  a  surrender  of  the  garrison  could  not 
have  been  long  delayed.  The  ground  selected  by  co- 
lonel Watson  for  his  small  stockade,  was  an  Indian 
mount,  generally  conceived  to  be  the  cemetery  of  the 
tribe  inhabiting  the  circumjacent  region:  it  was  at  least 
thirty  feet  high,  and  surrounded  by  table  land.  Captain 
M'Koy,  the  commandant,  saw  at  once  his  inevitable 
fate,  unless  he  could  devise  some  other  mode  of  pro- 
curing water,  for  which  purpose  he  immediately  cut  a 
trench  from  his  fosse  (secured  by  abbatis)  to  the  river, 
which  passed  close  to  the  Indian  mount.  Baffled  in 
their  expectation,  and  destitute  both  of  artillery  and 
intrenching  tools,  Marion  and  Lee  despaired  of  suc- 
cess; when  major  Mayham,  of  South  Carolina,  accom- 
panying the  brigadier,  suggested  a  plan,  which  was  not 
sooner  communicated  than  gratefully  adopted.  He  pro- 
posed to  cut  down  a  number  of  suitable  trees  in  the 
nearest  wood,  and  with  them  to  erect  a  large  strong 
oblong  pen,  to  be  covered  on  the  top  with  a  floor  of 
logs,  and  protected  on  the  side  opposite  to  the 
fort  with  a  breastwork  of  light  timber.  To  the  adja- 
cent farms  dragoons  were  despatched  for  axes,  the 
only  necessary  tool,  of  which  a  sufficient  number 
being  soon  collected,  relays  of  working  parties  were 
allotted  for  the  labor;  some  to  cut,  some  to  convey, 
and  some  to  erect.  Major  Mayham  undertook  the 
execution  of  his  plan,  which  was  completely  finished 


52  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

before  the  morning  of  the  23d,  effective  as  to  the  object, 
and  honorable  to  the  geniusof  the  inventor.  The  besieg- 
ed was,  like  the  besieger,  unpro\  ided  with  artillery,  and 
could  not  interrupt  the  pi  ogress  of  a  work,  the  com- 
pletion of  which  must  produce  immediate  submission. 
A  party  of  riflemen,  being  ready,  took  post  in  the 
Mayham  tower  the  moment  it  was  completed;  and  a 
detachment  of  musketry,  under  cover  of  the  riflemen, 
moved  to  make  a  lodgment  in  the  enemy's  ditch,  sup- 
ported by  the  legion  infantry  with  fixed  bayonets. 
Such  was  the  effect  of  the  fire  from  the  riflemen, 
having  thorough  command  of  every  part  of  the  fort, 
from  the  relative  supereminence  of  the  tower,  that 
every  attempt  to  resist  the  lodgment  was  crushed. 
The  commandant,  finding  every  resource  cut  off, 
hung  out  the  white  flag.  It  was  followed  by  a  propo- 
sal to  surrender,  which  issued  in  a  capitulation.  This 
incipient  operation  having  been  happily  effected  by  the 
novel  and  effectual  device  of  major  Mayham,  to  whom 
the  commandants  very  gratefully  expressed  their  ac- 
knowledgment, Marion  and  Lee,  preceded  by  the 
legion  cavalry  under  major  Rudolph,  who  had  been 
detached  on  the  day  subsequent  to  the  investiture  of 
the  fort,  turned  their  attention  to  lieutenant  colonel 
Watson,  now  advancing  from  below  to  relieve  his 
garrison.  Knowing  that  the  fall  of  Cambden  was 
closely  connected  with  the  destruction  of  Watson,  the 
American  commandants  viewed  with  delight  his  ap- 
proach; and  having  disposed  of  the  prisoners,  moved 
to  join  the  cavalry,  now  retiring  in  front  of  the  enemy. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      53 

General  Greene  broke  up  from  Ramsay's  mills  on 
the  7th  of  April,  the  day  after  he  had  detached  Lee  to 
join  Marion;  and  determined  to  approach  Cambden 
with  a  celerity  which  would  preclude  the  British  ge- 
neral from  being  apprized  of  his  movement  until  the 
appearance  of  his  army  announced  it.  In  this  expecta- 
tion, notwithstanding  his  pressing  endeavors,  he  was 
disappointed.  The  .country  through  which  he  neces- 
sarily marched  was  barren,  its  settlements  few,  the 
produce  of  the  soil  scanty,  and  the  inhabitants  dis- 
affected. 

Being  obliged  to  depend  upon  himself  for  subsis- 
tence, always  difficult  to  be  procured  from  the  inade- 
quacy of  the  annual  products,  and  rendered  more  so 
by  the  secretion  of  part  of  the  little  made,  (from  hosti- 
lity to  the  American  cause,  or  from  the  natural  and 
powerful  claim  of  securing  sustenance  at  home)  gene- 
ral Greene  did  not  reach  the  neighborhood  of  Camb- 
den until  the  nineteenth. 

By  the  last  return  made  before  the  American  army 
decamped  from  Ramsay's  mills,  the  regular  force  of 
every  sort  under  Greene,  may  be  put  down  at  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  effectives. 

Deducting  the  corps  under  Lee,  about  three  hun- 
dred horse  and  foot,  the  army,  when  arrived  before 
Cambden,  exclusive  of  a  small  body  of  North  Caro- 
lina militia,  cannot  be  estimated  at  more  than  one 
thousand  live  hundred.  Here  the  American  general 
confidently  expected  to  be  joined  by  brigadier  Sump- 
ter,  in  consequence  of  his  instructions  to  that  officer 


54  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

previous  to  his  movement  from  Deep  river;  with  whose 
aid,  and  the  co-operation  of  Marion  and  Lee  below, 
Greene  very  justly  concluded  that  the  evacuation  of 
Cambden  was  certain,  and  the  destruction  of  Rawdon 
and  his  army  probable.  Brigadier  Sumpter  held  off, 
much  to  the  surprise,  regret  and  dissatisfaction  of  the 
American  general,  and  very  much  to  the  detriment  of 
his  plans  and  measures.  Happily  this  disappointment 
was  balanced  by  the  accidental  absence  of  a  large 
portion  of  the  garrison  of  Cambden,  under  lieutenant 
colonel  Watson;  who,  as  before  mentioned,  was  low 
down  in  the  eastern  quarter  of  the  state. 

General  Greene  not  having  adequate  force  to  invest 
Cambden,  placed  himself  before  it;  not  doubting  that, 
by  depriving  the  garrison  of  its  usual  supplies  from 
the  country,  he  should  compel  the  British  general  to 
withdraw;  when  he  flattered  himself  opportunities 
would  occur  for  his  striking  him  in  detail,  until  rein- 
forced by  the  junction  of  Marion,  Lee,  and  Sumpter; 
after  which  he  might  fall  upon  his  retreating  enemy, 
with  well  grounded  expectation  of  decisive  success. 

Severed  as  Watson  was  from  Cambden,  Ravvdon's 
effective  force  was  not  more  than  nine  hundred  men; 
nor  was  there  any  possibility  of  adding  to  this  force 
but  by  the  safe  return  of  lieutenant  colonel  Watson, 
to  whom  lord  Rawdon  despatched  a  courier  as  soon 
as  he  was  informed  of  general  Greene's  approach, 
communicating  that  event,  and  requiring  his  imme- 
diate junction.  Informed  of  the  union  of  the  corps 
under  Marion  and  Lee,  and  of  their  advance  upon  Fort 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      55 

Watson,  with  the  situation  of  Watson,  then  returning 
towards  C  umbel  en  on  the  north  side  of  the  Santee, 
Greene  determined  to  change  his  position  from  the 
north  to  the  east  side  of  Cambden;  by  which  move- 
ment he  could  readily  bring  to  him  Marion  and  Lee, 
if  circumstances  should  demand  it,  and  more  effec- 
tually withhold  the  expected  succor,  should  lieutenant 
colonel  Watson  force  or  elude  the  corps  below. 

This  change  of  position  could  not  be  effected  with- 
out passing  Sandhill  creek,  with  its  deep  and  difficult 
swamps,  impracticable  with  artillery  and  baggage, 
or  making  an  extensive  circuit,  alike  forbidden  by 
the  posture  of  affairs  and  the  want  of  time.  To  sur- 
mount the  obstacles  opposed  to  his  plan,  the  American 
general  determined  to  relieve  himself  from  every  in- 
cumbrance, and  by  a  rapid  movement  on  the  direct 
route  through  the  swamps,  to  gain  his  desired  position 
on  the  road  leading  from  Cambden  to  Nelson's  ferry. 
With  this  view  he  placed  in  charge  of  the  quarter- 
master general,  lieutenant  colonel  Carrington,  his  bag- 
gage and  artillery;  directing  that  officer  to  retire  to  the 
strong  country  north  of  Lynch's  creek,  putting  him- 
self with  his  small  detachment  safe  from  any  practica- 
ble attempt  to  break  him  up.  This  being  done,  general 
Greene  assumed  his  desired  position  on  the  east  of 
Cambden;  where  his  communication  with  Marion  and 
Lee  being  direct,  he  soon  was  informed  of  their  con- 
dition, and  the  situation  of  Watson. 

With  pleasure  he  heard  that  the  operations  against 
Fort   Watson  were  advancing  to  a  close,  with  the 


56  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

prospect  of  certain  success;  and  that  not  only  the  le- 
gion cavalry  had  been  detached  to  attend  the  move- 
ments of  lieutenant  colonel  Watson,  but  that  a  strong 
pass  on  the  roue  of  the  British  officer  had  been  occu- 
pied with  a  detachment  of  infantry,  to  which  place  the 
whole  corps  would  hasten,  the  moment  the  garrison 
of  Fort  Watson  submitted;  an  event  which  was  soon 
expected  to  happen.  Finding  that  the  approach  of  Wat- 
son could  not  speedily  take  place,  if  at  all;  and  not 
doubting  but  that   by  this  time   brigadier   Sumpter 
must  be  in  the  vicinity  of  Cambden;  Greene  relin- 
quished his  position  lately  taken,  and  returned  to  the 
north  side  of  the  town.  The  moment  this  resolution 
was  adopted,  the  general  despatched  orders  to  lieute- 
nant colonel  Carrington,  to  rejoin  him  with  celerity. 
Within  a  small  distance  of  Cambden,  on  the  Wax- 
haw's  road,  is  Hobkick's  hill,  the  position  selected  by 
general  Greene  after  repassing  Sandhill  creek;  not  only 
from  its  being  on  the  route  prescribed  for  the  rejunc- 
tion  of  Carrington,  and  most  convenient  to  the  union 
with  Sumpter,  but  because  the  ground  gave  advantages 
in  case  of  battle;  which,  though  not  presumed  upon, 
was  nevertheless  always  to  be  kept  in  view.  Regard- 
ing this  consideration,  the  American  army  decamped 
in  order  of  battle. 

The  regulars  composed  one  line,  with  their  centre 
on  the  road;  the  militia,  amounting  to  two  hundred 
and  fifty,  with  the  cavalry,  formed  the  reserve,  in  a 
suitable  distance  in  the  rear.  Strong  piquets  were 
posted   in   front,  aided   by   the   customary   patroles 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States,      57 

ranging  in  front  and  on  the  flanks.  Thus  prepared  for 
whatever  might  happen,  the  American  army  lay  wait- 
ing for  the  expected  return  of  Carrington,  and  the 
much  desired  junction  of  Sumpter. 

On  the  24th,  Greene  was  officially  informed  of  the 
surrender  of  Fort  Watson;  and  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  the  prisoners  reached  headquarters.  Among  them 
were  a  few  American  soldiers,  who  had  been  taken,  as 
they  represented,  and  who  had  enlisted  with  the  enemy 
as  affording  the  best  chance  in  their  judgment  for 
escape  to  their  friends.  These  men  were  cheerfully 
received  into  the  regiments  to  which  they  belonged. 
One  of  them,  a  drummer  in  the  Maryland  line,  availed 
himself  of  the  confidence  with  which  the  whole  had 
been  treated,  and  in  the  course  of  the  night  deserted. 
Being  intelligent,  he  communicated  to  lord  Rawdon 
the  position  of  Greene  with  accuracy;  and  informed 
his  lordship,  that  as  yet  the  detachment  under  lieute- 
nant colonel  Carrington,  with  the  artillery,  &c.  had  not 
joined,  nor  had  Greene  been  reinforced  by  Sumpter^ 
or  any  other  corps. 

Already  straitened  for  provisions,  and  despairing  of 
succor,  this  enterprising  young  soldier  resolved  to  risk 
battle  at  once;  confident  that  every  day  would  proba- 
bly strengthen  his  adversary,  and  consequently  dimi- 
nish his  chance  of  victory,  (without  which  not  only  the 
evacuation  of  Cambden  must  ensue,  but  with  it  might 
follow  the  destruction  of  his  army)  and  hoping  that  he 
would  find  Greene  destitute  of  artillery,  conformably 
to  the  information  just  derived  from  the  drummer. 

Voi.  II.  H 


55  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Giving  orders  for  his  troops  to  make  ready,  and 
placing  Cambden  in  charge  of  the  convalescents,  he 
advanced  at  nine  in  the  morning  of  the  25th,  with  his 
total,  (nine  hundred  only,  of  every  description.)  Avoid- 
ing the  direct  approach  to  his  enemy,  he  took  a  cir- 
cuitous course  to  his  right,  along  the  margin  of  the 
swamp  which  lines  Pine-tree  creek,  and  winds  with 
its  meanders. 

The  position  of  Greene  was  on  a  ridge  covered  with 
uninterrupted  wood,  the  Waxhaw's  road  running  di- 
rectly through  it;  his  army  resting  with  its  left  upon 
the  swamp  of  Pine-tree  creek,  where  the  ridge  or  emi- 
nence was  easiest  of  ascent,  and  extending  on  the  right 
to  woods  uncovered  by  water  courses  or  any  other 
obstructions.  In  this  quarter  the  American  position 
was  easiest  assailed,  but  the  probability  of  an  undis- 
covered approach  was  not  so  encouraging.  Therefore 
did  Rawdon  prefer  the  route  to  our  left;  inasmuch  as 
an  unexpected  assault  upon  our  camp  was  a  leading 
feature  in  his  plan. 

In  the  morning  Carrington  joined,  with  a  comfort- 
able supply  of  provisions,  which  had  been  rather  scarce 
during  the  late  hurried  changes  of  position.  These 
were  issued,  and  of  course  engaged  a  portion  of  the 
troops;  while  the  residue  were  employed  along  the 
rivulets  in  washing  their  clothes,  an  occupation  which 
had  been  for  some  days  past  impracticable. 

We  being  absorbed  in  these  employments,  the 
period  was  very  propitious  to  the  enemy's  object. 
His  advance  was  never  discovered  until  his  van  fell 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      59 

upoft  our  piquets.  The  two  in  front,  commanded  by 
captain  Benson  of  Maryland  and  captain  Morgan  of 
Virginia,  received  him  handsomely;  and,  retiring  in 
order,  disputed  bravely  every  inch  of  ground,  sup- 
ported by  Kirk-wood  with  the  remains  of  the  Delaware 
regiment.  This  rencontre  gave  the  first  announcement 
of  the  contest  at  hand.  Disposed,  as  has  been  before 
observed,  for  battle  by  the  order  of  encampment,  the 
American  army,  notwithstanding  its  short  notice,  was 
quickly  ranged  for  action, — an  event,  although  un- 
expected, of  all  others  the  most  desirable;  because, 
in  all  probability,  the  readiest  to  the  production  of 
that  issue  so  anxiously  coveted  by  the  American 
general. 

During  the  contest  with  the  piquets  Greene  formed 
his  army.  The  Virginia  brigade  with  general  Huger 
at  its  head,  having  under  him  the  lieutenant  colonels 
Campbell  and  Hawes,  took  the  right;  the  Maryland 
brigade,  led  by  colonel  Williams,  seconded  by  colonel 
Gunby  and  the  lieutenant  colonels  Ford  and  Howard, 
occupied  the  left.  Thus  all  the  continentals,  consisting 
of  four  regiments,  much  reduced  in  strength,  were 
disposed  in  one  line,  with  the  artillery,  conducted  by 
colonel  Harrison,  in  the  centre.  The  reserve  consisted 
of  the  cavalry,  under  lieutenant  colonel  Washington, 
with  a  corps  of  North  Carolina  militia,  about  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty,  commanded  by  colonel  Reade. 

The  British  general,  pushing  before  him  the  piquets 
and  Kirkwood,  pressed  forward  to  battle.  The  king's 
American  regiment  on  the  right,  the  New  York  vo- 


60  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

lunteers  in  the  centre,  and  the  sixty-third  on  the  left, 
formed  the  line  of  battle.  His  right  wing  was  supported 
bv  Robertson's  corps,  and  his  left  by  the  volunteers  of 
Ireland.  The  reserve  consisted  of  the  South  Carolina 
regiment,  with  a  few  dragoons,  all  the  cavalry  then  at 
Cambden. 

Greene,  examining  attentively  the  British  disposi- 
tion, discovered  the  very  narrow  front  which  it  pre- 
sented; and,  gratified  as  he  was  with  the  opportunity, 
so  unexpectedly  offered,  of  completing,  by  one  blow, 
his  first  object,  he  determined  to  avail  himself  of  the 
advantage  given  by  the  mode  of  attack. 

He  directed  the  lieutenant  colonels  Campbell  and 
Ford  to  turn  the  enemy's  flanks;  he  ordered  the  centre 
regiments  to  advance  with  fixed  bayonets  upon  him 
ascending  the  height;  and  detached  lieutenant  colonel 
Washington  with  his  cavalry  to  gain  his  rear.  Rawdon 
no  sooner  cast  his  eyes  on  our  disposition  than  he 
perceived  the  danger  to  which  his  unequal  front  ex- 
posed him,  and,  bringing  up  the  volunteers  of  Ireland 
into  line,  he  remedied  the  defect  seized  by  Greene  in 
time  to  avert  the  expected  consequence. 

The  battle  opened  from  right  to  left  with  a  vigor 
which  promised  a  keen  and  sanguinary  contest;  but 
the  superiority  of  our  fire,  augmented  by  that  from 
our  well  served  artillery,  must  have  borne  down  all 
opposition,  had  the  American  line  maintained  itself 
with  becoming  firmness.  On  the  right  Huger  evi- 
dently gained  ground;  Washington  was  carrying  every 
thing  before  him  in  the  rear;  and  lieutenant  colonel 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      61 

Hawes,  with  fixed  bayonets,  conformable  to  order, 
was  descending  the  hill  ready  to  fall  upon  the  New 
York  volunteers. 

In  this  flattering  moment  the  veteran  regiment  of 
Gunby,  having  first  joined  in  the  fire,  in  violation 
of  orders,  paused,  its  right  falling  back.  Gunby  un- 
fortunately directed  the  disordered  battalion  to  rally 
by  retiring  to  its  right  company.*  Retrograde  being 
the  consequence  of  this  order,  the  British  line,  giving 
a  shout,  pressed  forward  with  redoubled  ardor;  and 
the  regiment  of  Gunby,  considered  as  the  bulwark  of 
the  army,  never  recovered  from  the  panic  with  which 
it  was  unaccountably  seized.  The  Virginia  brigade, 

*  Although  the  array  of  Greene  was  not  surprised,  yet  it  was 
very  suddenly  assailed:  no  notice  of  the  attack  having  been  given 
until  our  piquets  fired.  The  troops,  in  the  hurry  of  forming,  had 
not  got  settled  before  they  advanced.  Gunby  was  anxious  to  lead 
his  regiment  into  battle  thoroughly  compacted;  and,  therefore, 
ordered  lieutenant  colonel  Howard  to  call  back  captain  Arm- 
strong, who,  with  two  sections,  was  moving  upon  the  enemy. 
This  Howard  did,  and  Armstrong  very  reluctantly  obeyed.  The 
enemy  was  not  yet  in  strength  in  this  point;  and  it  is  probable 
had  Gunby,  instead  of  recalling  Armstrong,  made  him  the  point 
of  view  in  forming,  that  the  fate  of  the  day  would  have  been 
favorable  to  our  arms.  This  Greene  always  declared  as  his 
opinion,  and  Gunby  as  uniformly  denied.— The  latter  officer  was 
called  before  a  court  of  inquiry,  at  his  own  request;  whose  state- 
ment of  the  facts,  as  before  recited,  was  followed  by  the  general's 
orders  announcing  the  spirit  and  activity  displayed  by  colonel 
Gunby  unexceptionable;  but  his  order  for  the  regiment  to  fall 
back  improper,  and  the  probable  cause  of  the  loss  of  a  complete 
victory. 


62  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

and  the  Second  regiment  of  Maryland,  with  the  artil- 
lery, notwithstanding  the  shameful  abandonment  by 
the  First  Maryland,  maintained  the  contest  bravely. 
Williams  with  Gunby,  assisted  by  lieutenant  colonel 
Howard,  who  had  so  often  and  so  gloriously  borne 
down  with  this  very  regiment  all  opposition,  vainly 
exerted  themselves  to  bring  it  to  order.  Not  the 
menaces  of  the  one,  not  the  expostulations  of  the 
other,  not  the  exhortations  of  the  third,  nor  the  recol- 
lection of  its  pristine  fame,  could  arouse  its  cowering 
spirit. 

The  Second  Maryland,  which  had  from  the  com- 
mencement of  the  action  acted  with  gallantry,  feeling 
severely  the  effect  produced  by  the  recession  of  the 
First,  became  somewhat  deranged;  and  lieutenant 
colonel  Ford  being  unluckily  wounded,  while  endea- 
voring to  repress  the  beginning  disorder,  this  corps 
also  fell  back.  Rawdon's  right  now  gained  the  summit 
of  the  eminence,  flanking  Hawes'  regiment,  which 
had  undeviatingly  held  its  prescribed  course,  although 
early  in  the  action  abandoned  on  its  left  by  the  First 
Maryland,  and  now  but  feebly  sustained  on  its  right 
by  the  First  Virginia, — for  this  corps  had  now  be- 
gun to  recede,  notwithstanding  its  preceding  success. 
Greene  recalled  Hawes,  our  only  unbroken  regiment; 
and,  finding  every  effort  to  reinstate  the  battle  illusory, 
conscious  that  his  reserve  was  not  calculated  to  face 
the  veteran  foe,  wisely  determined  to  diminish  the  ills 
of  the  sad  and  unaccountable  reverse,  by  retiring 
from  the  field.  Orders  were  given  to  this  effect,  and 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      63 

lieutenant  colonel  Hawes  was  commanded  to  cover 
the  broken  line. 

The  retreat  was  performed  without  loss,  although 
the  enemy  continued  to  pursue  for  a  few  mLes.  Wash- 
ington with  his  cavalry  retiring  from  the  rear  the  mo- 
ment he  discovered  that  our  infantry  had  been  forced, 
came  in  time  to  contribute  greatly  to  the  safety  of  the 
army,  having  necessarily  relinquished  most  of  the  fruits 
of  his  success.  Checking  the  enemy's  efforts  to  disturb 
our  rear,*  he  at  length,  by  a  rapid  charge,  effectually 
discomfited  the  British  van,  and  put  a  stop  to  further 
pursuit.  General  Greene  having  passed  Saunders* 
creek,  about  four  miles  from  the  field  of  battle,  en- 
camped for  the  night,  and  on  the  next  day  proceeded 
to  Rudgely's  mill. 

The  loss  sustained  by  the  respective  armies  was 
nearly  equal.  On  the  side  of  America  two  hundred 
and  sixty-eight  were  killed,  wounded,  and  missing: 
on  the  side  of  the  enemy  two  hundred  and  fifty-eight, 
including  the  prisoners  brought  off  by  lieutenant  colo- 
nel Washington,  and  those  paroled  by  him  on  the 
ground.   The  British  lost  no  officer  of  distinction, 

*  After  Greene  halted  at  Saunders'  creek,  Washington  re- 
turned with  his  cavalry  to  examine  the  situation  of  the  enemy. 
His  advanced  patrole  was  pursued  by  major  Coffin  with  his  ca- 
valry. Washington,  hearing  their  approach,  placed  himself  in 
ambush,  covered  by  some  thick  bushes,  near  the  road,  and  pres- 
sed upon  his  adversary.  Coffin  attempted  to  bring  his  men  to 
face  us;  but  they  put  spur  to  their  horses  to  regain  their  camp. 
Some  were  killed,  some  taken,  and  the  rest  dispersing  reached 
lord  Rawdon.  Coffin  himself  escaped. 


64  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

which  was  not  the  case  with  us.  The  wound  of  lieu- 
tenant colonel  Ford  proved  mortal,  and  captain  Beatty, 
of  the  First  Maryland,  was  killed,  than  whom  the 
army  did  not  possess  an  officer  of  more  promise. 

No  military  event  had  occurred  in  the  course  of 
the  war,  whose  issue  was  so  inexplicable  as  that  of 
the  late  engagement.  The  daring  attempt  of  the  enemy 
was  readily  accounted  for,  and  exhibits  in  the  most 
convincing  manner  the  wisdom  of  the  movement  into 
South  Carolina.  Without  risk  or  loss,  the  American 
general,  although  disappointed  in  the  aid  of  brigadier 
Sumpter,  had  in  six  days  placed  his  adversary  in  a 
situation  so  dangerous  as  to  compel  him  to  resort  to 
the  measure  of  all  others  the  most  desired  by  his 
enemy.  Greatly  inferior  in  infantry,  more  so  in  ca- 
valry, and  destitute  of  artillery,  the  British  general, 
aware  of  the  inevitable  consequence  of  holding  him- 
self shut  up  in  Cambden,  took  the  bold  resolution  of 
attacking  his  antagonist,  notwithstanding  his  many 
advantages,  considerably  augmented  by  the  conveni- 
ence of  a  position  selected  with  the  view  and  from 
the  hope  that  the  critical  condition  of  Rawdon  would 
force  him  to  hazard  assault.  Lord  Rawdon  certainly 
chose  the  most  propitious  moment  for  his  gallant 
attempt,  and  as  certainly  conducted  it  in  the  most 
martial  manner.  Yet  he  would  have  been  inevitably 
destroyed  had  the  troops  of  Greene  executed  his 
orders  with  common  resolution.  The  satisfaction  en- 
joyed by  the  American  general,  on  discerning  the 
enemy   advancing   upon   him,  was  not   confined  to 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      65 

himself,  but  prevailed  throughout  the  army,  and  af- 
forded no  inconsiderable  pledge  that,  upon  this  occa- 
sion, every  man  would  do  his  duty.  So  decisive  was 
the  confidence  which  actuated  the  general,  that  he 
held  all  his  continental  infantry  in.  one  body,  never 
doubting  their  sufficiency  to  insure  success;  and,  with 
the  same  impression,  on  his  first  view  of  his  enemy, 
he  gave  orders  for  striking  him  in  front,  in  rear,  and 
on  both  flanks:  thus  conveying  to  his  troops  his 
conviction  that  victory  was  certain,  as  well  as  his 
determination  that  it  should  be  complete. 

Sad  and  immediate  was  Greene's  disappointment. 
The  first  regiment  of  Maryland,  as  has  been  men- 
tioned, deservedly  held  up  to  the  army  as  its  model, 
and  which  upon  all  preceding  occasions  behaved 
"well,*  now  shrunk  from  the  conflict,  abandoning  their 
general,  their  country,  and  their  comrades:  this  too 
in  defiance  of  the  efforts  and  example  of  Williams, 
Gunby,  and  Howard,  all  dear  to  the  troops,  and  when 
the  British  line,  so  far  from  having  gained  any  advan- 
tage, was  beginning  to  stagger  under  the  combined 
operation  fast  bearing  upon  it.  It  is  true  that  captain 
Beatty,  commanding  the  company  on  the  right,  fell  at 
this  moment;  and  it  is  also  true  that  colonel  Gunby, 

*  It  was  this  regiment  which  forced  the  guards  at  the  battle 
of  Guilford  Court-house,  killing  their  commandant,  and  driving 
them  back,  seeking  shelter  under  cover  of  the  British  artilleryj 
and  a  portion  of  the  same  regiment  constituted  a  part  of  the 
infantry  which,  under  Howard,  gave  to  us  the  victory  at  the- 
Cowpens,  by  the  free  use  of  the  bayonet. 

Vol.  II.  I 


Ot5  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

with  a  view  of  bringing  the  regiment  to  range  with  its 
colors,  ordered  it  to  fall  back  to  the  right  company; 
but  Morgan  had  given  the  same  order,  at  the  Cow- 
pens,  to  the  corps  of  Howard,  which  was  not  only 
executed  with  promptitude,  but  was  followed  by  its 
decisive  advance,  and  consequent  signal  success. 

Relinquishing  an  investigation  which  does  not  pro- 
mise a  satisfactory  solution,  I  cannot  but  observe  that 
the  battle  of  Hobkicks  adds  to  the  many  evidences 
with  which  military  history  abounds  of  the  deranging 
effects  of  unlimited  confidence.  It  is  the  only  instance 
in  Greene's  command,  where  this  general  implicitly 
yielded  to  its  delusive  counsel,  and  he  suffered  deeply 
in  consequence  of  it;  for  had  he  for  a  moment  doubt- 
ed the  certainty  of  success,  the  cavalry  would  not  have 
been  detached  in  the  rear  until  the  issue  of  the  battle 
had  began  to  unfold. 

Nor  is  it  risking  too  much  to  suggest  the  probabi- 
lity that,  had  the  horse  been  still  in  reserve,  not  only 
would  the  forward  movement  of  the  enemy,  which 
followed  the  recession  of  the  first  regiment  of  Mary- 
land, been  delayed,  but  that  regiment  would  have 
been  restored  to  order,  and  the  battle  renewed  with 
every  reason  still  to  conclude  that  its  event  would  have 
been  auspicious  to  America.  The  maxim  in  war,  that 
your  enemy  is  ever  to  be  dreaded  until  at  your  feet, 
ought  to  be  held  inviolate;  nor  should  a  commander 
permit  the  gratifying  seductions  of  brilliant  prospects 
to  turn  him  from  the  course  which  this  maxim  enjoins. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      67 

Honorable  as  was  this  victory  to  the  British  general 
and  to  the  British  arms,  it  yielded  not  one  solitary 
benefit.  The  loss  sustained  being  proportionate,  the 
relative  strength  of  the  combatants  was  unchanged; 
and  lord  Rawdon  experiencing  his  inadequacy  to  im- 
prove success  after  gaining  it,  reluctantly  relinquished 
his  offensive  plan  of  operations,  and  returned  to  Camb- 
den,  in  the  expectation  of  lieutenant  colonel  Watson's 
arrival  before  the  American  general  would  feel  himself 
in  strength  and  spirits  to  renew  his  investment. 

General  Greene,  heretofore  soured  by  the  failure 
in  his  expected  succor  from  Sumpter,  now  deeply 
chagrined  by  the  inglorious  behaviour  of  his  favorite 
regiment — converting  his  splendid  prospects  into  a 
renewal  of  toil  and  difficulty,  of  doubt  and  disgrace — 
became  for  a  while  discontented  with  his  advance  to 
the  south.  He  sent  orders  to  lieutenant  colonel  Lee, 
requiring  him  to  join  the  army  forthwith;  and  indicated 
by  other  measures  a  disposition  to  depart  from  his 
adopted  system. 

As  soon  as  the  capitulation  for  the  surrender  of  fort 
Watson  was  signed,  Lee  followed  by  his  infantry  has- 
tened to  the  cavalrv.  still  in  the  front  of  Watson;  and 
on  the  subsequent  morning  was  joined  by  brigadier 
Marion,  who  had  been  necessarily  delayed  until  the 
prisoners  and  stores  were  disposed  of.  The  British 
lieutenant  colonel,  seeing  that  the  passes  on  his  route 
were  occupied,  and  knowing  that  the  advantages  pos- 
sessed by  his  enemy  would  be  strenuously  maintained, 
relinquished  his  project  of  gaining  Cambden  on  the 


65  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

direct  route,  and  determined,  by  passing  the  Santee, 
to  interpose  it  between  himself  and  the  corps  opposed 
to  him;  presuming  that  he  might  with  facility  make 
his  way  good  10  Cambdtn,  by  recrossing  the  Santee 
above;  or,  by  taking  the  route  by  fort  Motte,  pass  first 
the  Congaree,  and  then  the  Wateree,  which  unite  some 
small  distance  below  the  post  at  Motte's. 

Drawing  off  in  the  night,  he  placed  himself  at 
a  considerable  distance  from  his  enemy  before  his 
change  of  plan  was  discovered.  Nevertheless  he  would 
have  been  pursued,  with  the  expectation  of  falling 
upon  him  before  he  could  make  good  his  passage  of 
the  river,  had  not  the  general's  orders  directing  the 
junction  of  the  corps  under  Lee  arrived,  which  neces- 
sarily arrested  the  proposed  attempt  upon  Watson. 
With  all  possible  despatch  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  set 
out  for  the  army;  and,  in  the  course  of  the  day  and  a 
small  part  of  the  night,  marched  thirty-two  miles. 

Sorely  as  Greene  felt  the  severe  disappointment 
lately  experienced,  he  did  not  long  permit  his  accus- 
tomed equanimity  to  be  disturbed;  nor  could  his  strong 
mind  long  entertain  suggestions  growing  out  of  ad- 
verse fortune.  Persuaded  that  his  movement  upon 
South  Carolina  was,  under  all  the  circumstances  of 
his  situation,  the  most  promising  of  good  to  his 
country,  he  determined  to  adhere  to  his  plan  of  ope- 
rations with  firmness,  and  to  obliterate  his  late  repulse 
by  subsequent  success.  Fixed  in  this  resolution,  he 
despatched  an  officer  to  meet  Lee,  countermanding 
his  orders,  followed  by  captain  Finley  of  the  artillery, 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      69 

with  a  six  pounder,  detached  by  general  Greene  to 
Marion  and  Lee,  in  consequence  of  representations 
from  those  officers  soliciting  this  aid. 

As  soon  as  Finley  joined,  Lee  returned  to  Marion, 
who  had  approached  the  vicinity  of  the  confluence  of 
the  Congaree  and  Wateree,  waiting  for  Watson's  ad- 
vance. The  despatch  from  general  Greene  contained 
directions  to  proceed  in  the  execution  of  his  original 
orders,  taking  care  by  every  practicable  exertion  to 
repel  Watson's  attempt  to  throw  himself  into  Camb- 
den;  and  communicated  the  general's  decision  to  pass 
the  Wateree  with  the  army,  for  the  purpose  of  inter- 
cepting lieutenant  colonel  Watson,  should  he  select 
that  route  to  Cambden.  In  conformity  with  this  deci- 
sion, Greene  broke  up  from  Rudgely's  mill,  and,  pass-' 
ing  the  Wateree  above  Cambden,  sat  down  in  a  strong 
position  near  to  Cambden;  which  deprived  the  British 
garrison  of  its  usual  supplies  in  this  quarter  as  effec- 
tually as  it  debarred  Watson's  approach  to  Cambden 
on  the  southern  route. 

Rawdon  now  demonstrated  by  his  conduct  that  his 
late  victory,  though  brilliant,  produced  no  support 
or  benefit  to  him;  as  he  was  compelled  to  a  painful 
inactivity  in  the  face  of  his  enemy,  who  but  a  few 
days  before  had  retired  from  before  him.  The  acces- 
sion of  the  corps  under  Watson  only  could  save  him; 
and  this  accession  he  saw  completely  prevented,  on 
the  most  eligible  route,  by  his  adversary, — he  saw  it 
without  being  able  to  take  a  single  step  in  counterac- 
tion or  in  furtherance  of  the  desired  aid. 


70  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Marion  and  Lee  lost  not  a  moment  after  their  union  in 
taking  measures  to  execute  the  command  of  their  gene- 
ral, well  apprized  of  the  vast  importance  attached  to  the 
interception  of  Watson.  The  militia  general,  being  per- 
fectly acquainted  with  the  country,  guided  the  measures 
adopted.  He  well  knew  that,  although  general  Greene's 
position  would  stop  the  lieutenant  colonel  on  the  usual 
route  from  Motte's  post  to  Cambden,  it  would  not  stop 
him  from  passing  the  Wateree  at  or  below  the  high  hills 
of  Santee;  and  that  lieutenant  colonel  Watson,  to  avoid 
the  corps  destined  to  strike  him,  would  probably,  not- 
withstanding the  judicious  position  taken  by  Greene, 
pass  the  Congaree  at  Motte's,  and  afterwards  pass  the 
Wateree  below  the  high  hills.    If  Watson  should  not 
deem  it  eligible  to  pass  the  Congaree,  but  one  way 
was  left  for  him,  and  that  was  to  recross  the  Santee 
at  the  confluence  of  the  two  rivers  just  mentioned. 
Whether  to  sit  down  on  the  north  side  of  the  Santee, 
prepared  to  fall  upon  the  British  lieutenant  colonel  in 
the  act  of  passing  the  river,  or  to  cross  it  and  strike 
at  him  on  the  southern  banks,  was  the  alternative 
presented    to    the    American    commandants.     Well 
informed  of  every  step  taken  by  Watson  after  he 
reached  the  southern  side  of  the  Santee,  no  jdoubt  re- 
mained but  that  he  would  pass  either  the  Congaree  or 
the  Santee  on  the  ensuing  morning.  It  was  now  de- 
cided to  cross  to  his  side  of  the  river,  from  a  convic- 
tion that  we  should  reach  him  on  its  southern  banks, 
which  ever  course  of  the  two  before  him  he  might 
select.  The  indefatigable  Marion,  seconded  by  his 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      71 

zealous  associates,  forseeing  the  probable  necessity 
of  a  quick  passage  over  the  Santee,  had  provided  the 
means  of  transportation,  which  was  effected  in  the 
course  of  the  night,  and,  with  the  dawn  of  day, 
the  troops  moved  with  celerity  up  the  Santee.  It 
was  now  ascertained  that  lieutenant  colonel  Watson 
had  taken  the  route  leading  over  that  river  where  its 
two  branches  unite — the  very  spot  which  had  so  forci- 
bly attracted  the  attention  of  Marion  and  Lee,  and 
would  have  been  selected  by  them,  had  it  not  been 
apprehended  that  the  British  lieutenant  colonel  might 
have  preferred  the  route  across  the  Congaree. 

Had  these  two  officers  confined  their  attention  en- 
tirely to  the  north  side  of  the  river,  the  much  desired 
interception  would  have  been  effected:  for  with  horse, 
foot,  and  artillery,  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that  a 
corps  of  infantry  only  could  have  made  good  its  land- 
ing in  the  face  of  an  equal  foe,  and  secured  its  arrival 
into  Cambden. 

Mortified  with  the  result  of  their  unceasing  exer- 
tions, the  deranging  information  was  immediately 
forwarded  to  general  Greene,  and  the  disappointed 
commandants  moved  upon  fort  Motte. 

Persuaded  that  lord  Rawdon  would  resume  offensive 
operations  the  moment  Watson  joined  him,  Greene 
withdrew  from  the  vicinity  of  Cambden,  and  took 
a  more  distant  position  in  the  high  grounds  behind 
Sawney's  creek.  On  the  7th  of  May  the  long  expect- 
ed succor  reached  Cambden;  and  on  the  next  day  the 
British  general  put  his  army  in  motion,  passed  the 


72  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Wateree  at  the  ferry  below  Cambden,  and  advanced 
to  attack  Greene.  On  his  way  he  was  informed  of  the 
American  general's  decampment,  and  proceeded  to- 
wards Sawney's  creek,  still  determined  to  execute  his 
object. 

The  two  armies  were  nearly  equal,  about  twelve 
hundred  each.  The  advantage  in  number  and  quality 
of  infantry  was  on  the  side  of  Rawdon,  while  Greene 
continued  to  hold  his  superiority  in  cavalry.  Con- 
vinced that  the  British  general  would  press  battle, 
and  anxious  to  restore  the  humbled  spirit  of  his  troops, 
general  Greene  broke  up  from  his  position,  and  retired 
to  Colonel's  creek,  leaving  Washington  with  his  ca- 
valry and  some  infantry  on  the  ground  to  cover  his 
retreat.  Rawdon,  examining  critically  his  adversary's 
situation,  and  perceiving  his  well  prepared  condition, 
did  not  deem  it  advisable  to  carry  into  effect  his  pro- 
jected enterprize,  but  withdrew  about  the  time  that 
Greene  commenced  retreat,  and  returned  to  Cambden. 
Thus  it  happened  that  both  armies  retired  at  the  same 
moment  from  each  other.  Convinced  that  he  could 
not  force  the  American  general  from  his  neighbor- 
hood, and  persuaded  that  the  breaking  up  of  the  in- 
termediate posts  between  him  and  Charleston  would 
not  only  endanger  his  army,  but  must  complete  that 
spirit  of  revolt  which  had  begun  to  manifest  itself  on 
the  entrance  of  the  American  army  into  the  state,  his 
lordship  wisely  decided  to  give  up  Cambden,  and, 
with  it,  all  the  country  north  of  the  Congaree.  Pre- 
paring for  retreat,  he  sent  orders  to  lieutenant  colonel 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      73 

Cruger  to  abandon  Ninety-Six  and  to  join  Brown  at 
Augusta,  and  directed  major  Maxwell,  commanding 
at  fort  Granby,  to  fall  back  upon  Orangeburgh. 

This  arrangement  was  indubitably  the  best  practi- 
cable; and,  duly  maintained,  would  have  preserved  all 
the  country  south  of  the  Congaree  and  west  of  the 
Santee.  But  so  completely  had  the  American  general 
taken  his  measures  to  prevent  all  communication  with 
lord  Rawdon,  that  none  of  his  despatches  reached  their 
destination. 

On  the  10th  the  evacuation  of  Cambden  took  place, 
and  the  British  general  proceeded  to  Nelson's  ferry 
with  the  expectation  of  crossing  the  Santee  in  time  to 
dislodge  Marion  and  Lee,  still  prosecuting  the  siege 
of  fort  Motte.  Previous  to  his  lordship's  departure  he 
burnt  the  jail,  the  mills,  and  some  private  houses,  and 
destroyed  all  the  stores  which  he  could  not  take  with 
him.  He  carried  off  four  or  five  hundred  negroes,  and 
all  the  most  obnoxious  loyalists  accompanied  him. 

As  soon  as  Greene  was  informed  of  the  retreat  of 
the  enemy,  persuaded  that  Rawdon's  first  effort  would 
be  directed  to  relieve  fort  Motte,  he  advanced  towards 
the  Congaree,  determined  to  pass  that  river,  if  neces- 
sary, and  to  cover  the  operations  of  the  besieging 
corps. 

This  post  was  the  principal  depot  of  the  convoy.'* 
from  Charleston  to  Cambden,  and  sometimes  of  those 
destined  for  fort  Granby  and  Ninety-Six.  A  large 
new  mansion  house,  belonging  to  Mrs.  Motte,  situa- 

Vol.  II.  K 


74  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

ted  on  a  high  and  commanding  hill,  had  been  selected 
for  this  establishment.  It  was  surrounded  with  a  deep 
trench,  along  the  interior  margin  of  which  was  raised 
a  strong  and  lofty  parapet.  To  this  post  had  been 
regularly  assigned  an  adequate  garrison  of  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  men,  which  was  now  accidentally 
increased  by  a  small  detachment  of  dragoons, — which 
had  arrived  from  Charleston,  a  few  hours  before  the 
appearance  of  the  American  troops,  on  its  way  to 
Cambdcn  with  despatches  for  lord  Rawdon.  Captain 
M'Pherson  commanded,  an  officer  highly  and  deserv- 
edly respected. 

Opposite  to  fort  Motte,  to  the  north,  stood  another 
hill,  where  Mrs.  Motte,  having  been  dismissed  from 
her  mansion,  resided,  in  the  old  farmhouse.  On  this 
height  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  with  his  corps  took 
post,  while  brigadier  Marion  occupied  the  eastern 
declivity  of  the  ridge  on  which  the  fort  stood. 

Very  soon  the  fort  was  completely  invested;  and  the 
six  pounder  was  mounted  on  a  battery  erected  in 
Marion's  quarter  for  the  purpose  of  raking  the  north- 
ern face  of  the  enemy's  parapet,  against  which  Lee 
was  preparing  to  advance.  M'Pherson  was  unprovid- 
ed with  artillery,  and  depended  for  safety  upon  timely 
relief,  not  doubting  its  arrival  before  the  assailant  could 
push  his  preparations  to  maturity. 

The  vale  which  runs  between  the  two  hills  admitted 
our  safe  approach  within  four  hundred  yards  of  the 
fort.  This  place  was  st-lected  by  Lee  to  break  ground. 
Relays  of  working  parties  being  provided  for  every 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      75 

four  hours,  and  some  of  the  negroes  from  the  neigh- 
boring plantations  being  brought,  by  the  influence  of 
Marion,  to  our  assistance,  the  works  advanced  with 
rapidity.  Such  was  their  forwardness  on  the  10th,  that 
it  was  determined  to  summon  the  commandant. 

A  flag  was  accordingly  despatched  to  captain 
M'Pherson,  stating  to  him  with  truth  our  relative 
situation,  expressing  with  decision  the  fate  which 
awaited  him,  and  admonishing  him  to  avoid  the  dis- 
agreeable consequences  of  an  arrogant  temerity.  To 
this  the  captain  replied,  that,  disregarding  conse- 
quences, he  should  continue  to  resist  to  the  last  mo- 
ment in  his  power.  The  retreat  of  Rawdon  was  known 
in  the  evening  to  the  beseigers;  and  in  the  course  of 
the  night  a  courier  arrived  from  general  Greene  con- 
firming that  event,  urging  redoubled  activity,  and 
communicating  his  determination  to  hasten  to  their 
support.  Urged  by  these  strong  considerations,  Marion 
and  Lee  persevered  throughout  the  night  in  pressing 
the  completion  of  their  works.  On  the  next  day,  Raw- 
don reached  the  country  opposite  to  fort  Motte;  and 
in  the  succeeding  night  encamping  on  the  highest 
ground  in  his  route,  the  illumination  of  his  fires  gave 
the  joyful  annunciation  of  his  approach  to  the  despair- 
ing garrison.  But  the  hour  was  close  at  hand,  when 
this  fallacious  joy  was  to  be  converted  into  sadness. 

The  large  mansion  in  the  centre  of  the  encircling 
trench,  left  but  a  few  yards  of  the  ground  within  the 
enemy's  works  uncovered:  burning  the  house  must 
force  their  surrender. 


76  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Persuaded  that  our  ditch  would  be  within  arrow 
shot  before  noon  of  the  next  day,  Marion  and  Lee 
determined  to  adopt  this  speedy  mode  of  effecting 
their  object.  Orders  were  instantly  issued  to  prepare 
bows  and  arrows,  with  missive  combustible  matter. 
This  measure  was  reluctantly  adopted;  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  private  property  was  repugnant  to  the  principles 
which  swayed  the  two  commandants,  and  upon  this  oc- 
casion was  peculiarly  distressing.  The  devoted  house 
was  a  large  pleasant  edifice,  intended  for  the  summer 
residence  of  the  respectable  owner,  whose  deceased 
husband  had  been  a  firm  friend  to  his  oppressed  coun- 
try, and  whose  only  marriageable  daughter  was  the 
wife  of  major  Pinckney,  an  officer  in  the  South  Caro- 
lina line,  who  had  fought  and  bled  in  his  country's 
cause,  and  was  now  a  prisoner  with  the  enemy.  These 
considerations  powerfully  forbade  the  execution  of  the 
proposed  measure;  but  there  were  others  of  much  co- 
gency, which  applied  personally  to  lieutenant  colonel 
Lee,  and  gave  a  new  edge  to  the  bitterness  of  the 
scene. 

Encamping  contiguous  to  Mrs.  Motte's  dwelling, 
this  officer  had,  upon  his  arrival,  been  requested  in  the 
^most  pressing  terms  to  make  her  house  his  quarters. 
The  invitation  was  accordingly  accepted;  and  not  only 
the  lieutenant  colonel,  but  every  officer  of  his  corps, 
off  duty,  daily  experienced  her  liberal  hospitality,  po- 
litely proffered  and  as  politely  administered.  Nor  was 
the  attention  of  this  amiable  lady  coniined  to  that  class 
of  war  which  never  fail  to  attract  attention.  While  her 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      77 

richly  spread  table  presented  with  taste  and  fashion  all 
the  luxuries  of  her  opulent  country,  and  her  sideboard 
offered  without  reserve  the  best  wines  of  Europe, — 
antiquated  relics  of  happier  days, — her  active  benevo- 
lence found  its  way  to  the  sick  and  to  the  wounded; 
cherishing  with  softest  kindness  infirmity  and  misfor- 
tune, converting  despair  into  hope,  and  nursing  debi- 
lity into  strength.  Nevertheless  the  imperative  obliga- 
tions of  duty  must  be  obeyed;  the  house  must  burn; 
and  a  respectful  communication  to  the  lady  of  her  des- 
tined loss  must  be  made.  Taking  the  first  opportunity 
which  offered,  the  next  morning,  lieutenant  colonel  Lee 
imparted  to  Mrs.  Motte  the  intended  measure;  lament- 
ing the  sad  necessity,  and  assuring  her  of  the  deep 
regret  which  the  unavoidable  act  excited  in  his  and 
every  breast. 

With  the  smile  of  complacency  this  exemplary  lady 
listened  to  the  embarrassed  officer,  and  gave  instant 
relief  to  his  agitated  feelings,  by  declaring,  that  she 
was  gratified  with  the  opportunity  of  contributing  to 
the  good  of  her  country,  and  that  she  should  view  the 
approaching  scene  with  delight.  Shortly  after,  seeing 
accidentally  the  bow  and  arrows  which  had  been  pre- 
pared, she  sent  for  the  lieutenant  colonel,  and  present- 
ing him  with  a  bow  and  its  apparatus  imported  from 
India,  she  requested  his  substitution  of  these,  as  pro- 
bably better  adapted  for  the  object  than  those  we  had 
provided. 

Receiving  with  silent  delight  this  opportune  present, 
the  lieutenant  colonel  rejoined  his  troops,  now  making- 


78  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

ready  for  the  concluding  scene.  The  lines  were  man- 
ned, and  an  additional  force  stationed  at  the  battery, 
least  the  enemy,  perceiving  his  fate,  might  determine 
to  risk  a  desperate  assault,  as  offering  the  only  chance 
of  relief.  As  soon  as  the  troops  reached  their  several 
points,  a  flag  was  again  sent  to  M'Pherson,  for  the 
purpose  of  inducing  him  to  prevent  the  conflagration 
and  the  slaughter  which  might  ensue,  by  a  second 
representation  of  his  actual  condition. 

Doctor  Irwin,  of  the  legion  cavalry,  was  charged 
with  the  flag,  and  instructed  to  communicate  faith- 
fully the  inevitable  destruction  impending,  and  the 
impracticability  of  relief,  as  lord  Rawdon  had  not  yet 
passed  the  Santee;  with  an  assurance  that  longer  per- 
severance in  vain  resistance,  would  place  the  garrison 
at  the;  mercy  of  the  conqueror;  who  was  not  regardless 
of  the  policy  of  preventing  the  waste  of  time,  by  in- 
flicting exemplary  punishment,  where  resistance  was 
maintained  only  to  produce  such  waste.  The  British 
captain  received  the  flag  with  his  usual  politeness,  and 
heard  patiently  Irvin's  explanations;  but  he  remained 
immovable;  repeating  his  determination  of  holding  out 
to  the  last. 

It  was  now  about  noon,  and  the  rays  of  the  scorch- 
ing sun  had  prepared  the  shingle  roof  for  the  projected 
conflagration.  The  return  of  Irvin  was  immediately 
followed  by  the  application  of  the  bow  and  arrows. 
The  first  arrow  struck,  and  communicated  its  fire;  a 
second  was  shot  at  another  quarter  of  the  roof,  and  a 
third  at  a  third  quarter;  this  last  also  took  effect,  and, 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      79 

like  the  first,  soon  kindled  a  blaze.  M'Pherson  ordered 
a  party  to  repair  to  the  loft  of  the  house,  and  by 
knocking  off  the  shingles  to  stop  the  flames.  This  was 
soon  perceived,  and  captain  Finley  was  directed  to 
open  his  battery,  raking  the  loft  from  end  to  end. 

The  fire  of  our  six  pounder,  posted  close  to  one  of 
the  gable  ends  of  the  house,  soon  drove  the  soldiers 
down;  and  no  other  effort  to  stop  the  flames  being 
practicable,  M'Pherson  hung  out  the  white  flag.  Mercy 
was  extended,  although  policy  commanded  death,  and 
the  obstinacy  of  M'Pherson  warranted  it.  The  com- 
mandant, with  the  regulars,  of  which  the  garrison  was 
chiefly  composed,  were  taken  possession  of  by  Lee; 
while  the  loyalists  were  delivered  to  Marion.  Among 
the  latter  was  a  Mr.  Smith,  who  had  been  charged 
with  burning  the  houses  of  his  neighbors  friendly  to 
their  country.  This  man  consequently  became  very 
obnoxious,  and  his  punishment  was  loudly  demanded 
by  many  of  the  militia  serving  under  the  brigadier; 
but  the  humanity  of  Marion  could  not  be  overcome. 
Smith  was  secured  from  his  surrounding  enemies, 
ready  to  devote  him,  and  taken  under  the  general's 
protection. 

M'Pherson  was  charged  with  having  subjected 
himself  to  punishment,  by  his  idle  waste  of  his  anta- 
gonists' time;  and  reminded  as  well  of  the  opportuni- 
ties which  had  been  presented  to  him  of  saving  himself 
and  garrison  from  unconditional  submission,  as  of  the 
cogent  considerations,  growing  out  of  the  posture  of 
affairs,  which  urged  the  prevention  of  future  useless 


80  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

resistance  by  present  exemplary  punishment.  The 
British  officer  frankly  acknowledged  his  dependent 
situation,  and  declared  his  readiness  to  meet  any  con- 
sequence which  the  discharge  of  duty,  conforma- 
bly to  his  own  conviction  of  right,  might  produce. 
Powerfully  as  the  present  occasion  called  for  punish- 
ment, and  rightfully  as  it  might  have  been  inflicted, 
not  a  drop  of  blood  was  shed,  nor  any  part  of  the  ene- 
my's baggage  taken.  M'Pherson  and  his  officers  ac- 
companied their  captors  to  Mrs.  Motte's,  and  partook 
with  them  in  a  sumptuous  dinner;*  soothing  in  the 
sweets  of  social  intercourse  the  ire  which  the  preceding 
conflict  had  engendered.  Requesting  to  be  permitted 
to  return  to  Charleston,  on  parole,  they  were  accord- 
ingly paroled  and  sent  off  in  the  evening  to  lord  Raw- 
don,  now  engaged  in  passing  the  Santee  at  Nelson's 
ferry.  Soon  after,  general  Greene,  anxious  for  the  suc- 
cess of  his  detachment  against  fort  Motte,  attended 
by  an  escort  of  cavalry,  reached  us,  for  the  purpose  of 
knowing  precisely  our  situation,  and  the  progress  of 
the  British  general,  who  he  expected  would  hasten  to 
the  relief  of  M'Pherson,  as  soon  as  he  should  gain  the 

*  The  deportment  and  demeanor  of  Mrs.  Motte  gave  a  zest 
to  the  pleasures  of  the  table.  She  did  its  honors  with  that  unaf- 
fected politeness,  which  ever  excites  esteem  mingled  with  admi- 
ration. Conversing  with  ease,  vivacity  and  good  sense,  she  obli- 
terated our  recollection  of  the  injury  she  had  received;  and 
though  warmly  attached  to  the  defenders  of  her  country,  the 
engaging  amiability  of  her  manners,  left  it  doubtful  which  set  of 
officers  constituted  these  defenders. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      81 

southern  banks  of  the  Santee;  to  counteract  which  the 
American  general  had  resolved,  and  was  then  engaged 
in  preparing  boats,  to  transport  his  army  over  the  Con- 
garee.  Finding  the  siege  prosperously  concluded,  he 
returned  to  camp;  having  directed  Marion,  after  placing 
the  prisoners  in  security,  to  proceed  against  George- 
town, and  ordering  Lee  to  advance  without  delay  upon 
fort  Granby,  to  which  place  the  American  army  would 
now  move.  As  soon  as  the  troops  had  finished  their 
repast,  Lee  sat  out  with  his  detachment,  composed  of 
horse,  foot,  and  artillery;  and  matching  without  inter- 
mission, he  approached  the  neighborhood  of  fort 
Granby  before  the  dawn  of  the  second  day.  Brigadier 
Sumpter,  having  recovered  of  his  wound,  as  soon  as  he 
received  Greene's  despatch  from  Ramsay's  mill,  as- 
sembled his  corps  of  militia.  For  reasons  not  under- 
stood by  the  author,  the  brigadier,  instead  of  joining 
Greene  before  Cambden,  directed  his  attention  to  the 
fort  of  Ninety-Six  and  its  upper  communications  with 
Charleston,  fort  Granby  and  Orangeburgh.  He  had 
moved  from  before  fort  Granby,  but  a  few  days  before 
Lee's  arrival,  for  the  purpose  of  forcing  the  small  post 
at  Orangeburgh,  which  he  accomplished  on  the  14th, 

Fort  Granby  was  erected  on  a  plain,  which  extend- 
ed to  the  southern  banks  of  the  Congaree,  near  Friday's 
ferry.  Protected  on  one  side  by  that  river,  it  was  ac- 
cessible in  every  other  quarter  with  facility;  but  being 
completely  finished,  with  parapet  encircled  by  fosse 
and  abbatis,  and  being  well  garrisoned,  it  could  not 
have  been  carried  without  considerable  loss,  except  by 

Vol.  II.  L 


82  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

regular  approaches;  and  in  this  way  would  haVe  em- 
ployed the  whole  force  of  Greene  for  a  week  at  least, 
in  which  period  lord  Ran  don's  interposition  was  prac- 
ticable. Lieutenant  colonel  Lee,  apprized  of  the  readi- 
ness with  which  the  British  general  might  attempt  its 
relief,  determined  to  press  to  conclusion  his  operations 
with  all  possible  celerity,  having  detached,  before  he 
left  Motte's,  captain  Armstrong,  with  one  troop  of 
cavalry,  to  attend  to  the  movements  of  lord  Rawdon. 
As  soon,  therefore,  as  he  reached  the  neighborhood 
of  the  fort,  relying  upon  the  information  of  his  guides, 
he  began  to  erect  a  battery  in  the  margin  of  the  woods 
to  the  west  of  the  fort.  The  morning  was  uncommonly 
foggy,  which  fortunate  circumstance  gave  time  to  finish 
the  battery  before  it  was  perceived  by  the  enemy.  Cap- 
tain Finley,  with  his  six  pounder  mounted  in  the  bat- 
tery, was  directed  as  soon  as  the  fog  should  disperse 
to  open  upon  the  fort;  when  the  infantry,  ready  for 
action,  would  advance  to  gain  the  ground  selected  for 
the  commencement  of  our  approaches.  The  garrison 
consisted  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  men,  chiefly  loyal 
militia,  commanded  by  major  Maxwell,  of  the  Prince 
of  Wales'  regiment,  (a  refugee  from  the  Eastern  Shore 
of  Maryland)  represented  to  Lee  as  neither  experien- 
ced in  his  lately  adopted  profession,  nor  fitted  by  cast 
of  character  to  meet  the  impending  crisis.  He  was  the 
exact  counterpart  of  M'Pherson;  disposed  to  avoid, 
rather  than  to  court,  the  daring  scenes  of  war.  Zealous 
to  fill  his  purse,  rather  than  to  gather  military  laurels, 
he  had,  during  his  command,  pursued  his  favorite 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      HJ 

object  with  considerable  success,  and  held  with  him 
m  the  fort  his  gathered  spoil.  Solicitous  to  hasten  the 
surrender  of  the  post,  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  determin- 
ed to  try  (he  effect  of  negotiation  with  his  pliable  an- 
tagonist; and  prepared  a  summons,  couched  in  pompous 
terms,  calculated  to  operate  upon  such  an  officer  as 
Maxwell  was  represented  to  be.  The  summons  was 
entrusted  to  captain  Eggleston,  of  the  legion  horse, 
who  was  authorized  to  conclude  finally  upon  the  terms 
of  capitulation,  if  he  found  the  enemy  disposed  to  sur- 
render. 

The  fog  ceasing,  Finlev  announced  our  unexpected 
proximity,  which  excited  much  alarm  and  some  con- 
fusion, evidently  discerned  from  our  position.  The 
legion  infantry  advancing  at  the  same  time,  took  pos- 
session of  the  desired  ground  without  opposition; 
severing  the  enemy's  piquets  in  this  quarter  from  the 
fort.  Eggleston  now  setting  out  with  his  flag,  produ- 
ced a  suspension  of  our  fire,  which  induced  the  piquets 
and  patroles,  cut  off  by  our  disposition,  to  attempt  to 
gain  the  fort.  This  effort  was  partially  checked  by  the 
rapid  movement  of  the  cavalry;  and  an  officer  was 
despatched  to  captain  Eggleston,  requiring  him  to 
remonstrate  to  major  Maxwell  upon  the  impropriety 
of  the  conduct  of  his  piquets  and  patroles,  with  a  de- 
mand that  he  would  order  them  to  resume  their  station; 
it  being  never  intended,  by  presenting  him  with  an 
opportunity  of  avoiding  the  useless  effusion  of  blood, 
to  permit  the  improvement  of  his  capacity  to  resist. 
Eggleston's  remonstrance  was  duly  respected;  and 


84  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Maxwell  despatched  his  adjutant  with  the  required 
orders,  replacing  the  portion  of  his  force  on  duty  out 
of  the  fort  in  its  original  station.  The  negotiation  was 
begun,  and  the  British  major  testified  a  favorable  dis- 
position to  the  proposition  submitted  to  him.  After 
consulting  with  some  of  his  officers,  he  agreed  to  de- 
liver up  the  fort,  upon  condition  that  the  private  pro- 
perty of  every  sort,  without  investigation  of  title, 
should  be  confirmed  to  its  possessors;  that  the  garri- 
son should  be  permitted  to  return  to  Charleston  pri- 
soners of  war,  until  exchanged;  that  the  militia  should 
be  held  in  the  same  manner  as  the  regulars;  and  that 
an  escort,  charged  with  the  protection  of  persons  and 
of  property,  should  attend  the  prisoners  to  the  British 
army. 

The  first  condition  being  diametrically  repugnant  to 
the  course  contemplated  by  Lee,  as  it  prevented  res- 
toration of  plundered  property,  captain  Eggleston  did 
not  think  proper  to  act  under  the  full  discretion  with 
which  he  had  been  so  properly  invested,  but  submit- 
ted by  letter  the  enemy's  demands  to  the  lieutenant 
colonel,  accompanied  with  one  from  major  Maxwell, 
requiring  two  covered  wagons  for  the  conveyance  of 
his  own  baggage,  free  from  search.  In  reply,  Eggle- 
ston received  directions  to  accede  to  the  proposed 
terms,  with  the  single  exception  of  all  horses  fit  for 
public  service,  and  to  expedite  the  conclusion  of  the  bu- 
siness. This  exception  was  illy  relished  by  many  of  the 
officers,  although  not  resisted  by  the  commandant.  Find- 
ing that  the  capitulation  would  be  thus  arranged,  the 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      85 

Hessian  officers  came  in  a  body  to  Eggleston,  protesting 
against  proceeding,  unless  they  were  permitted  to  re- 
tain their  horses;  a  protest  not  to  be  overruled  by  the 
authority  of  Maxwell.  The  capitulation  was  suspend- 
ed, and  a  second  time  Eggleston  found  it  necessary  to 
refer  to  Lee.  About  this  moment  a  dragoon  arrived 
from  captain  Armstrong,  commanding  the  detachment 
of  horse  near  lord  Rawdon,  communicating  his  lord- 
ship's passage  across  the  Santee,  and  his  advance  to- 
wards fort  Motte.  Had  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  deter- 
mined to  resist  the  requisition  of  the  Hessian  officers, 
this  intelligence  would  have  induced  a  change  in  his 
decision.  He  directed  captain  Eggleston  to  make 
known  to  the  officers,  that  he  took  pleasure  in  grati- 
fying them,  by  considering  all  horses  belonging  to 
individuals  in  the  fort  as  private  property,  and  claim- 
ing only  such,  if  any,  belonging  to  the  public. 

This  obstacle  being  removed,  the  capitulation  was 
signed;  and  the  principal  bastion  was  immediately  oc- 
cupied by  captain  Rudolph,  with  a  detachment  from 
the  legion  infantry.  Before  noon,  Maxwell,  with  his 
garrison,  consisting  of  three  hundred  and  forty  men, 
(sixty  regulars,  the  rest  loyalists,)  its  baggage  of  even 
sort,  two  pieces  of  artillery,  and  two  covered  wagons, 
moved  from  the  fort;  and  the  major,  with  his  gar- 
rison, protected  by  the  stipulated  escort,  proceeded  on 
I  their  route  to  lord  Rawdon.  The  public  stores  of  every 
sort,  consisting  chiefly  of  ammunition,  salt,  and  liquor, 
were  faithfully  delivered,  and  presented  a  very  conve- 
nient as  well  as  agreeable  supply  to  our  army.  The 


86  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

moment  Maxwell  surrendered,  Lee  despatched  an  of- 
ficer with  the  information  to  general  Greene,  who  had 
pressed  on  with  much  expedition,  and  was  within  a 
few  miles  of  Friday's  ferry  when  he  received  Lee's 
despatch.  The  army  continued  its  march  to  Ancran's 
plantation,  near  the  ferry;  and  the  general,  crossing 
the  river,  joined  his  light  corps.  Delighted  with  the 
happy  termination  which  had  just  taken  place,  his  satis- 
faction was  considerably  increased  when  he  saw  the 
strength  of  the  fort,  connected  with  that  of  the  garri- 
son. He  testified  with  much  cordiality,  and  in  most 
gratifying  terms,  his  obligations  to  the  light  corps; 
applauding  as  well  the  rapidity  of  its  advance  as  the 
vigor  of  its  operations. 

Lord  Rawdon  made  but  one  day's  march  towards 
fort  Motte;  yielding  up  with  much  reluctance  his 
anxious  desire  to  defend  his  line  of  posts,  already 
broken  through  in  its  weakest  points,  and  about  to  be 
assailed  throughout.  Retiring  to  Monk's  Corner,  he 
there  encamped;  impatiently  waiting  for  an  accession 
of  force  to  enable  him  to  resume  offensive  operations. 

Fort  Watson,  fort  Motte,  fort  Granby,  and  that  at 
Orangeburgh,  had  successively  yielded:  Marion  was 
now  before  Georgetown,  which  was  sure  soon  to  fall. 
Thus  in  less  than  one  month  since  general  Greene  ap- 
peared before  Cambden,  he  had  compelled  the  British 
general  to  evacuate  that  important  post,  forced  the  sub- 
mission of  all  the  intermediate  posts,  and  was  now  upon 
the  banks  of  the  Congaree,  in  the  heart  of  South  Ca- 
rolina, ready  to  advance  upon  Ninety -Six,  (the  only 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      87 

remaining  fortress  in  the  state,  besides  Charleston,  in 
the  enemy's  possession,)  and  to  detach  against  Augus- 
ta, in  Georgia;  comprehending  in  this  decisive  effort, 
the  completion  of  the  deliverance  of  die  two  lost  states, 
except  the  fortified  towns  of  Charleston  and  Savan- 
nah,— safe,  because  the  enemy  ruled  at  sea. 

The  American  general,  reposing  his  army  for  the 
day,  and  strengthening  the  light  corps  with  a  battalion 
of  North  Carolina  levies  under  major  Eaton,  directed 
lieutenant  colonel  Lee  to  move  upon  Augusta;  to  which 
post  br  gadier  Pickens,  with  his  corps  of  militia,  had 
been  commanded    to    repair.    Lee    commenced    his 
march  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours,  marching  thir- 
teen miles  in  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  Max- 
well had  surrendered.  Resuming  motion  at  a  very  early 
hour  in  the  morning,  he  pressed  forward  with  the  ut- 
most expedition;   relieving  the  fatigued  infantry  by 
occasionally  dismounting  his  dragoons  and  mounting 
his  infantry.  Not  only  the  claim  for  celerity,  arising 
out  of  the  general  state  of  affairs,  enforced  this  exer- 
tion; but  there  was  cause  to  apprehend  that  lieutenant 
colonel  Cruger,  apprised,  as  was  presumed,  of  lord 
Rawdon's  abandonment,  first  of  Cambden  anci  lastly 
of  the    field,   would,  in   consequence   of  these   un- 
toward events,  hasten  to  Augusta;  giving  up  South 
Carolina  to  save  Georgia.  To  reach  Pickens  before 
Cruger  could  join  Brown,  became,  in  this  view  of 
events,  of  the  first  importance.  Pickens  and  Lee  uni- 
ted could  readily  strike  Cruger  on  his  march,  with 
the  prospect  of  bringing  him  to  submission.   This 


88  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

done,  the  destruction  of  Brown  only  remained  to  be 
effected  for  the  complete  re-annexation  (except  the  sea 
coast)  of  these  states  to  the  Union. 

Approaching  in  the  course  of  his  march  the  point 
nearest  Ninety-Six,  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  detached  a 
squadron  of  horse,  under  major  Rudolph,  towards  that 
post,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  whether  the  ene- 
my exhibited  the  appearance  of  breaking  up,  and  with 
the  hope  by  this  sudden  dash  of  seizing  some  of  the 
garrison; — a  very  acceptable  present  to  the  American 
general,  then  on  his  march  for  that  place,  and  in  want 
of  that  accurate  information  to  be  derived  only  from 
residents  in  the  place.  Rudolph  concealing  his  ap- 
proach, appeared  suddenly  near  the  town;  but  was 
not  so  fortunate  as  to  find  a  single  individual  of  the 
garrison  without  the  lines.  He  seized  one  or  two 
countrymen  returning  home,  who  accompanied  him 
to  camp.  From  these  we  learnt  that  lieutenant  colonel 
Cruger  was  uninformed  of  the  events  that  had  lately 
taken  place;  but  hearing  of  Greene's  advance  upon 
Cambden,  he  had  been  industriously  engaged  in 
strengthening  his  fortifications,  and  was  determined 
not  to  abandon  his  post.  Lee  despatched  a  friendly 
countryman  to  general  Greene  with  the  intelligence 
procured,  which  banished  all  those  apprehensions  here- 
tofore entertained  lest  Cruger  might  unite  himself  to 
Brown.  Persevering  in  his  march,  lieutenant  colonel 
Lee  reached  on  the  third  day  the  vicinity  of  Augusta, 
which  is  seventy  five  miles  from  fort  Granby,  pre- 
ceded by  captain  O  Neale,  with  a  light  party  of  horse, 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      89 

charged  with  the  collection  of  provisions  and  with 
the  acquirement  of  intelligence.  From  this  active  and 
discerning  officer  the  pleasing  information  was  re- 
ceived of  the  recent  arrival  of  the  annual  royal  present 
to  the  Indians,  which  was  deposited  at  fort  Galphin, 
about  twelve  miles  below  Augusta,  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river,  consisting  of  articles  extremely  wanted  in  the 
American  camp.*  To  relieve  the  wants  of  the  army  was 
in  itself  grateful,  but  this  intelligence  was  important  in  a 
military  view;  because  it  showed  that  colonel  Brown's 
force  in  Augusta  was  reduced  by  detachments  from  it 
to  secure  his  deposit  at  fort  Galphin.  Two  companies 
of  infantry  now  made  the  garrison  of  this  latter  post, 
which  was  a  small  stockade.  Persuaded  that  hib  ap- 
proach was  alike  unknown  to  Brown  and  to  the  officer 
commanding  here,  from  the  precautions  which,  by 
means  of  his  superior  cavalry,  he  had  been  enabled  to 
adopt,  Lee  determined  by  a  forced  march,  with  a  de- 
tachment of  infantry  mounted  behind  his  dragoons,  to 
seize  the  Indian  present.  Leaving  Eaton  behind  with 
his  battalion,  the  artillery,  and  the  tired  of  the  corps, 
to  follow,  he  accordingly  pushed  on  to  fort  Galphin. 

On  the  ensuing  morning  (21st  of  May),  sultry 
beyond  measure,  the  fatigued  detachment  gained  the 
desired  point;  and,  halting  in  the  pine  barrens  which 
skirted  the  field  surrounding  the  fort,  waited  for  the 

*Po\vder,ball,  small  arms,  liquor,  salt, blankets,  with  sundry  small 
articles,  were  gained,  one  of  the  many  useful  and  valuable  acquisi- 
tions occasionally  procured  by  the  legion;  forwhich,  ofthe  promised 
remuneration,  not  a  cent  has  been  ever  paid  to  officer  or  soldier, 

Vol.  II.  M 


90  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

moment  of  assault.  For  many  miles  not  a  drop  of 
water  had  been  procurable;  and  the  extreme  heat  of 
the  scorching  sun,  rendered  more  oppressive  by  the 
necessary  h;dt  under  the  pines,  without  any  liquid 
whatsoever  to  revive  sinking  nature,  produced  a  de- 
bility forbidding  exertion.  Having  with  him  some 
mounted  militia,  Lee  directed  them  to  dismount  and 
to  advance  upon  the  fort  in  the  opposite  direction — not 
doubting  that  the  garrison,  as  was  the  custom,  would 
eagerly  pursue  them,  when  an  opportunity  would  be 
presented  of  obtaining  the  contemplated  prize  with- 
out loss.  The  major  part  of  the  garrison,  as  had  been 
expected,  ran  to  arms  on  sight  of  the  militia,  and, 
leaving  the  fort,  pursued  them.  A  selection  having 
been  made  of  all  the  infantry  whose  strength  was 
fitted  for  action,  a  portion  of  them  under  captain 
Rudolph  was  ordered  to  rush  upon  the  fort,  while  the 
residue,  supported  by  a  troop  of  dragoons,  took  a  di- 
rection which  shielded  the  militia  from  the  menaced 
blow.  Rudolph  had  no  difficulty  in  possessing  himself 
of  the  fort,  little  opposition  having  been  attempted, 
and  that  opposition  having  been  instantly  crushed. 
We  lost  one  man  from  the  heat  of  the  weather;  the 
enemy  only  three  or  four  in  battle.  The  garrison,  with 
the  valuable  deposit  in  its  safe  keeping,  gave  a  rich 
reward  for  our  toils  and  sufferings.  Never  was  a  be- 
ginning more  auspicious.  This  success  not  only  de- 
prived Brown  of  a  very  important  portion  of  his  force, 
but  yielded  to  his  enemy  an  abundance  of  supplies 
much  wnited  by  the  army  of  Greene, — among  which 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      91 

were  the  essentials  of  war,  powder  and  ball — which 
articles  had  become  scarce  in  the  American  camp, 
notwithstanding  the  occasional  contributions  of  the 
several  posts  wrested  from  the  enemy. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Lee,  reposing  his  infantry  for  a 
few  hours,  detached  major  Eggleston,  at  the  head  of 
his  horse,  to  pass  the  Savannah  below  Augusta;  and, 
taking  a  western  direction,  to  join  a  corps  of  militia, 
known    to    be    in  the  neighborhood,    under    colonel 
Clarke,  in  case  brigadier  Pickens  should  not  yet  have 
arrived.    Eggleston  was  also  ordered  to  make  himself 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  enemy's  situation  for 
the  information  of  his  commandant,  who  wished  to 
begin  his  operations  the  moment  of  his  return;  and 
was  further  enjoined  to  send  in  a  flag  with  a  summons 
from  himself,   stating  the  near  approach  of  part  of 
Greene's  army,  with  the  investiture  of  Ninety- Six  by 
the  main  body  under  the  general  himself;  and  urging  the 
propriety  of  sparing  the  useless  waste  of  life — the  cer- 
tain consequence  of  resistance, — cruel,  because  vain. 
The  substitution  of  a  second  officer  for  his  superior  in 
summoning  the  fort  arose  from  the  course  taken  by 
Brown.  He  had  refused  to  receive  flags,  forbidding 
all  intercourse  with  the  militia  officers;  and  Lee,  hav- 
ing profited  by  negotiation  at  fort  Granby,  was  desirous 
of  removing  the  obstacles  which  prevented  resort  to 
the  like  course  here.   To  effect  this,  he  thought  it  ad- 
visable to  authorize  Eggleston,  then  the  senior  conti- 
nental officer  on  the  south  of  Savannah,  to  attempt 
negotiation.    Brown,  either  discrediting  the  informa- 


92  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

tion  contained  in  the  summons,  or  immutable  in  the 
decision  he  had  taken,  would  not  answer  the  letter 
addressed  to  him,  and  forbad  the  renewal  of  such 
communication. 

In  the  evening  lieutenant  colonel  Lee,  with  the  ar- 
tillery and  infantry,  joined  Eggleston,  then  united  to 
the  militia  under  Pickens  and  Clarke,  and  encamped 
in  the  woods  to  the  west  of  Augusta.  This  town  is 
situated  on  the  southern  banks  of  the  Savannah,  in  an 
oblong  plain,  washed  by  the  river  on  the  east  and  co- 
vered by  deep  woods  in  the  opposite  direction.  In  its 
centre  stood  fort  Cornwallis,  judiciously  constructed, 
well  finished,  and  secure  from  storm.  A  half  mile  in 
its  front  up  the  river  the  plain  is  interrupted  by  a 
lagoon  or  swamp  with  a  rivulet  passing  through  it; 
and  on  the  northwestern  border  of  this  lagoon  was 
erected  another  fort,  very  inferior,  called  Grierson, 
from  the  militia  colonel  who  commanded  its  garrison. 
Brown  conducted  the  British  force  in  upper  Georgia, 
and  resided  in  fort  Cornwallis.  Lieutenant  colonel 
Lee,  hearing  from  Eggleston  the  affrontive  rejection 
to  his  proffered  negotiation,  was  considerably  ruffled 
at  the  contemptuous  treatment  received,  and  deter- 
mined never  to  enter  into  any  communication  with 
the  British  commandant  until  solicited  by  himself. 
Thus  decided,  he  was  gratified  in  discovering  the 
divided  condition  of  the  enemy — its  regulars  in  fort 
Cornwallis  and  its  militia  in  fort  Grierson;  not  doubt- 
ing, if  the  moment  was  duly  improved,  that  a  ttnder 
©f  negotiation,  on  the  part  of  Brown,  would  follow. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States,      93 

While  the  troops,  still  concealed,  were  engaged  in 
taking  refreshments,  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  employed 
himself  in  examining  the  ground.  He  did  not  hesitate 
in  his  decision,  which  was  instantly  to  drive  Grierson 
out  of  his  fort,  and  to  destroy  or  intercept  him  in  his 
retreat  to  fort  Cornwallis. 

Communicating  his  plan  to  Pickens  and  Clarke,  it 
was  adopted;  and  the  troops  were  soon  after  arrayed 
for  executing  it. 

Brigadier  Pickens  with  the  militia  was  to  attack  the 
fort  on  its  north  and  west;  major  Eaton  with  his  bat- 
talion, by  passing  down  the  north  side  of  the  lagoon, 
was  to  approach  it  on  the  south,  co-operating  with  the 
militia;  while  lieutenant  colonel  Lee,  with  his  infantry 
and  artillery,  was  to  move  down  the  lagoon  on  its  south- 
ern margin,  parallel  with  Eaton,  ready  to  support  his 
attack  if  required,  or  to  attend  to  the  movements  of 
Brown,  should  he  venture  to  leave  his  defences  and 
interpose  with  a  view  to  save  Grierson.  The  cavalry, 
under  Eggleston,  were  ordered  to  draw  near  to  fort 
Cornwallis,  keeping  in  the  wood  and  ready  to  fall 
upon  the  rear  of  Brown  should  he  advance  upon  Lee. 
These  arrangements  being  finished,  the  several  com- 
mandants proceeded  to  their  respective  points.  Lee's 
movement,  open  to  view,  was  soon  discerned  by 
Brown,  who,  drawing  his  garrison  out  of  his  lines 
accompanied  by  two  field  pieces,  advanced  with  the 
appearance  of  risking  battle  to  save  Grierson,  now 
assailed  by  Pickens  and  Eaton.  This  forward  move- 
ment soon  ceased.  Brown,  not  deeming  it  prudent, 


94  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

under  existing  circumstances,  to  persevere  in  his  at- 
tempt, confined  his  interposition  to  a  cannonade,  which 
was  returned  by  Lee,  with  very  little  effect  on  eiiher 
side.  *Grierson's  resistance  was  quickly  overpowered; 
the  fort  was  evacuated;  himself  with  his  major  and 
many  of  his  garrison  killed;  the  lieutenant  colonel  with 
others  taken;  and  the  few  remaining,  by  reaching  the 
river,  escaped  under  cover  and  concealment  of  its 
banks  to  fort  Cornwallis.  Lieutenant  colonel  Brown, 
perceiving  the  fall  of  this  post,  withdrew  into  his  fort; 
and  apprehending,  from  what  he  had  seen,  that  he 
had  to  deal  with  troops  fitted  for  war,  applied  himself 
to  strengthening  his  situation.  Whatever  was  attaina- 
ble in  the  town,  and  necessary  to  his  defence,  was 
now  procured;  and  every  part  of  the  works  requiring 
amendment  was  repaired  with  industry.  These  exer- 
tions on  the  part  of  the  enemy  could  not  be  counter- 
acted; all  now  to  be  done  was  to  assume  proper 
stations  for  close  investiture,  and,  by  regular  ap- 
proaches, to  compel  his  surrender. 

*  The  militia  of  Georgia,  under  colonel  Clarke,  were  so  ex- 
asperated by  the  cruelties  mutually  inflicted  in  the  course  of  the 
war  in  this  state,  that  they  were  disposed  to  have  sacrificed  every 
man  taken,  and  with  great  difficulty  was  this  disposition  now 
suppressed.  Poor  Grierson  and  several  others  had  been  killed 
after  surrender;  and  although  the  American  commandants  used 
every  exertion,  and  offered  a  large  reward  to  detect  the  mur- 
derers, no  discovery  could  be  made.  In  no  pari  of  the  South  was 
the  war  conducted  with  such  asperity  as  in  this  quarter.  It  often 
sunk  into  barbarity. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     95 

In  the  late  contest  our  loss  was  trivial, — a  few 
wounded,  and  fewer  killed.  But  unhappily  among  the 
latter  was  major  Eaton  of  North  Carolina,  who  had 
served  only  a  few  weeks  with  the  light  corps,  and  in 
that  short  period  had  endeared  himself  to  his  com- 
mandant and  fellow  soldiers  by  the  amiability  of  his 
manners.  He  fell  gallantly  at  the  head  of  his  battalion 
in  the  moment  of  victory. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Savannah,  south  of  the  lagoon 
near  its  flow  into  the  river,  was  situated  a  large  brick 
building,  the  mansion-house  of  a  gentleman  who  had 
joined  the  enemy.  Here  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  with 
his  corps  took  post,  while  brigadier  Pickens  with  the 
militia  occupied  the  woods  on  the  enemy's  left.  The 
morning  was  spent  in  ascertaining  the  most  eligible 
mode  of  approach;  to  execute  which  all  the  requisite 
tools  found  at  fort  Galphin,  with  many  collected  from 
the  neighboring  farms,  had  been  brought  to  camp. 

Fort  Cornwallis  was  not  far  from  the  Savannah 
river,  the  shelter  of  whose  banks  afforded  a  safe  route 
to  the  troops.  It  was  determined  to  break  ground  in 
this  quarter,  and  to  extend  our  works  towards  the 
enemy's  left  and  rear. 

General  Greene  did  not  continue  in  his  camp  at 
Friday's  ferry  longer  than  to  give  time  to  lieutenant 
colonel  Carrington  to  procure  means  for  the  transpor- 
tation of  the  stores  gained  by  the  fall  of  fort  Granby, 
all  of  which  were  necessary  to  the  army  in  the  pro- 
posed operations.  Taking  the  direct  road  for  Ninety- 
Six,  he  sat  down  before  it  on  the  22d;  his  effective 


96  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

force,  exclusive  of  militia,  not  exceeding  one  thousand: 
Marion,  after  taking  Georgetown,  having  continued 
in  that  quarter  for  the  protection  of  the  country;  and 
Sumpter,  who  had  joined  Greene  while  at  Friday's 
ferry,  being  sent  to  apply  his  attention  to  the  care  of 
the  region  south  and  west  of  the  Congaree. 

Ninety-Six  derives  its  name  from  the  circumstance 
of  its  being  ninety-six  miles  distant  from  the  principal 
town  of  the  Cherokee  Indians,  called  Keeowee;  and  is 
the  chief  village  in  the  district  of  country  lying  be- 
tween the  Saluda  (the  southern  branch  of  the  Con- 
garee) and  the  river  Savannah,  the  southwestern 
boundary  of  the  state,  to  which  district  it  gives  its 
name. 

The  country  is  strong,  the  climate  salubrious,  and 
the  soil  fertile;  and  Ninety-Six  exceeded  in  its  white 
population  any  of  the  nine  districts  into  which  South 
Carolina  is  divided.  When  the  British  recovered  he 
state,  here,  as  has  been  before  observed,  was  fixed  a 
post — forming,  with  Cambden  to  its  right  and  Au- 
gusta to  its  left,  the  frontier  barrier  established  lor 
the  security  of  the  country.  The  village  of  Ninety- 
Six,  previous  to  the  war,  had  been  slightly  fortified 
for  defence  against  the  neighboring  Indian-.  These 
works  were  considerably  strengthened  alter  the  arrival 
of  the  British  troops;  and  additional  fortifications,  to 
secure  the  post  from  assault,  were  erected  under  the 
superintendence  of  lieutenant  Haldane,  of  the  corps  of 
engineers,  aid-de-camp  to  lord  Cornwallis. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.      97 

Lieutenant  colonel  Cruger,  the  present  commandant, 
was  a  native  of  New  York,  of  respectable  connexions, 
who  had  taken  part  from  the  first  with  the  British 
army,  and  commanded  one  of  the  provincial  regiments 
raised  in  that  state.    His  garrison  amounted  to  five 
hundred  and  fifty  men;   three  hundred  and  fifty  of 
whom  were  regulars,  and,  like  himself,  Americans; 
the  residue  were  loyal  militia  of  South  Carolina,  con- 
ducted by  colonel  King.  On  the  left  of  the  village,  in 
a  valley,  ran  a  small  rivulet  which  furnished  water  to 
the  town  and  troops.  Passing  this  rivulet  westwardly, 
you   ascend  an  eminence,  on  which  was  erected  a 
stockade  fort,  which,  with  the  fortified  prison  in  the  vil- 
lage situated  contiguous  to  the  valley,  constituted  the 
chief  defence  of  the  water.  On  the  right  of  the  village 
stood  the  principal  work,  called  the  star,  from  its  form. 
It  consisted  ofsixteen^alientandre-enteringangles,  with 
a  ditch,  frieze,  and  abbatis;  and  was  judiciously  design- 
ed, and  well  executed.  We  have-before  mentioned  that 
lord  Rawdon,  previous  to  his  retreat  from  Cambden, 
had  informed  lieutenant  colonel  Cruger  of  the  chang- 
ed and  changing  condition  of  affairs  (which  compelled 
him  to  prepare  for  the  abandonment  of  that  post)  with 
orders  to  him  to  evacuate  Ninety- Six  and  to  join 
Brown  in  Augusta;  but  that  all  his  attempts  to  com- 
municate with  Cruger  had  been  frustrated.    Entirely 
ignorant  of  these  events,  lieutenant  colonel  Cruger, 
nevertheless,   guided  by  his  own  reflections,  wisely 
employed  his  time  in  making  ail  the  necessary  repairs 
to  his  works  and  some  additional  defences.  A  mound 
Vol.  II.  N 


98  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

of  earth,  parapet  high,  was  thrown  up  around  the 
stockade,  and  secured  by  abbatis;  blockhouses  were 
erected,  traverses  made,  and  covered  communications 
between  the  different  works  established.  Throughout 
the  preparations  directed  by  Cruger,  the  garrison,  re- 
gulars and  militia,  officers  and  soldiers,  vied  with  each 
other  in  the  zealous  execution  of  their  commandant's 
orders.  The  appearance  of  Greene's  army  increased 
the  vigorous  exertions  of  Cruger  and  his  garrison  in 
completing  their  defensive  measures;  and  very  soon 
the  works  became  strong,  affording  additional  confi- 
dtnce  to  the  garrison. 

Colonel  Koschiiibko,  a  Polish  officer,  at  the  head  of 
the  engineers  in  the  southern  army,  was  considered  to 
possess  skill  in  his  profession,  and  much  esteemed  for 
his  mildness  of  disposition  and  urbanity  of  manners. 
To  this  officer  general  Greene  committed  the  desig- 
nation of  the  course  and  mode  of  approach.  Never 
regarding  the  importance  which  was  attached  to  de- 
priving the  enemy  of  water,  for  which  he  entirely 
depended  on  the  rivulet  to  his  left,  Koschiusko  applied 
his  undivided  attention  to  the  demolition  of  the  star, 
the  strongest  point  of  the  enemy's  defence.  Breaking 
ground  close  to  this  fortress,  he  labored  during  the 
first  night  with  diligence,  but  had  not  been  able  to 
place  in  great  forwardness  his  incipient  works.  No 
sooner  was  this  attempt  of  the  besieger  perceived 
than  lieutenant  colonel  Cruger  determined  to  prepare 
a  platform  in  one  of  the  salient  angles  of  the  star,  op- 
posite to  our  works,  for  the  reception  of  three  pieces 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.       99 

of  artillery,  the  whole  he  possessed,  with  intention  to 
cover  a  detachment  charged  with  the  expulsion  of  our 
working  parties,  to  be  followed  by  a  second  for  the 
demolition  of  the  works.  Before  noon  the  platform 
was  finished,  and  the  artillery  mounted  in  it.  The 
parapet  was  manned  with  infantry;  and  the  sallying 
party  under  lieutenant  Roney,  supported  by  major 
Greene,  ready  in  the  enemy's  ditch,  rushed  upon  our 
works,  covered  by  the  artillery  and  musketry.  Roney 
drove  before  him  our  guards  and  working  parties, 
putting  to  the  bayonet  all  whom  he  found;  and  was 
followed  by  a  detachment  of  loyalists,  who  quickly 
demolished  the  works,  carrying  off  the  intrenching 
tools.  The  enemy  sustained  no  loss  in  this  first  exhi- 
bition of  his  decision  and  courage  but  that  of  lieutenant 
Roney,  who  died  of  a  wound  he  received  while  gal- 
lantly leading  on  his  men,  much  regretted  by  his 
commandant  and  the  garrison. 

So  judiciously  was  this  sally  planned,  and  so  rapidly 
conducted,  that,  although  Greene  instantly  sent  a  de- 
tachment to  support  Koschiusko,  the  object  was  ac- 
complished before  support  could  arrive.  Taught  by 
this  essay  that  his  enemy  was  of  a  cast  not  to  be 
rashly  approached  with  impunity,  Koschiusko  was 
directed  to  resume  his  labors  under  cover  of  a  ravine, 
and  at  a  more  respectful  distance.  He  broke  ground 
again  in  the  night  of  the  23d,  still  directing  his  ap- 
proaches against  the  star  redoubt. 

Pickens  and  Lee  pressed  forward  their  measures 
against  fort  Cornwallis  with  zeal  and  diligence;  but 


100  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

not  with  the  wished  for  celerity,  so  vigilant  and  reso- 
lute was  the  active  and  sagacious  officer  opposed  to 
them.  The  condition  of  several  of  the  wounded  taken 
in  the  attack  on  fort  Grierson  called  for  various  com- 
forts not  to  be  found  in  the  American  camp,  and  the 
principal  officer  who  had  been  taken  asked  permission 
to  procure  the  requisite  supply  from  colonel  Brown, 
whom  he  knew  to  be  well  provided,  and  whose  dispo- 
sition to  cherish  his  soldiers  he  had  often  experienced. 
To  this  application  Pickens  and  Lee  answered,  that 
after  the  ungracious  determination  to  stop  all  inter- 
course, announced  by  the  commandant  of  fort  Corn- 
wallis,  disposed  as  they  were  to  obey  the  dictates  of 
humanity,  it  could  not  be  expected  that  any  conside- 
ration could  prevail  with  them  again  to  expose  the 
American  flag  to  contumely.  If,  howeverj  he  thought 
proper  to  wait  upon  colonel  Brown,  \\\ty  would  permit 
him  to  proceed  whenever  he  pleased,  on  the  faith  of  his 
parole,  returning  immediately  after  receiving  Brown's 
reply. 

This  offer  was  cheerfully  accepted,  and  a  letter  was 
prepared  on  the  part  of  the  American  commandants, 
expressing  the  regret  with  which  they  permitted  a  flag 
to  pass  from  their  camp,  though  borne  by  a  British 
officer,  after  the  affrontive  treatment  experienced  upon 
a  late  occasion;  and  assuring  the  commandant  of  fort 
Cornwallis,  that  no  consideration  affecting  themselves 
or  their  troops  would  ever  have  led  to  such  a  conde- 
scension. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     101 

To  this  letter  Brown  returned  a  very  polite  answer 
by  the  prisoner  (whose  application  was  instantly  com- 
plied with),  excusing  what  had  passed  by  a  reference 
to  some  previous  altercations,  which  had  rendered  such 
a  decision  necessary  on  the  part  of  the  British  com- 
mandant, so  long  as  the  individual  to  whom  he  allud- 
ed continued  to  command,*  and  whom  he  really  did 
believe  had  sent  in  the  flag  refused  to  be  received, 
not  knowing  or  suspecting  the  extraordinary  change 
of  force  opposed  to  him  which  had  taken  place. 
Pickens  and  Lee  were  very  much  gratified  that, 
while  obeying  the  claims  of  humanity,  they  should 
have  produced  a  renewal  of  intercourse,  without  which 
the  contest  drawing  to  a  close  could  not  be  termina- 
ted but  with  a  painful  waste  of  human  life. 

The  works  contiguous  to  the  river  had  advanced 
nearly  to  the  desired  state,  and  those  which  had  been 
subsequently  commenced  in  the  rear  of  the  fort  began 
to  assume  a  formidable  appearance;  yet  extreme  diffi- 
culty occurred  in  the  consummation  of  the  plan  adop- 
ted by  the  besiegers,  as  the  surrounding  ground  pre- 
sented no  swell  or  hill  which  would  enable  them  to 

*  The  individual  meant  was  colonel  Clarke.  Brown  and  this 
officer  had  before  (as  will  be  recollected)  a  very  severe  conflict. 
Clarke  was  often  beating  up  the  British  quarters,  and  striking  at 
the  light  parties  of  the  enemy,  chiefly  loyalists;  with  whom  and 
the  militia  a  spirit  of  hate  and  revenge  had  succeeded  to  those 
noble  feelings  of  humanity  and  forgiveness  which  ought  ever 
to  actuate  the  soldier.  At  length  all  intercourse  between  the 
troops  was  broken  up,  and  the  vanquished  lay  at  the  mercy  of  the 
victor. 


102  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

bring  their  six  pounder  to  bear  upon  the  enemy.  It 
was  determined  to  resort  to  the  Mayham  tower,  the 
effect  of  which  Lee  had  so  happily  witnessed  at  fort 
Watson;  and  orders  were  accordingly  issued  to  prepare 
and  bring  in  timber  .of  such  a  size  as  would  sustain 
our  only  piece  of  artillery. 

Brown  heretofore  had  patiently  looked  on  at  our 
approach,  diligently  working  within  his  fort,  as  we 
discovered  by  the  heaps  of  fresh  dug  earth  in  various 
directions,  but  with  what  view  remained  unascertain- 
ed. Seeing  that  his  enemy's  works  were  rapidly  ad- 
vancing, he  now  determined  to  interrupt  our  progress 
by  sallies,  however  hazardous,  which  he  foresaw  could 
alone  retard  his  approaching  fate, — hoping  that  in  delay 
he  might  find  safety.  On  the  28th  he  fell  upon  our  works 
in  the  river  quarter  at  midnight,  and,  by  the  sudden- 
ness and  vigor  of  his  onset,  drove  the  guard  before  him; 
but  the  support  under  captain  Handy  coming  up,  after 
an  obstinate  conflict,  regained  the  trenches,  and  forced 
the  enemy  to  take  shelter  in  the  fort.  The  determined 
spirit  manifested  by  the  foe  in  this  attempt  to  destroy 
our  approaches,  induced  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  to 
appropriate  his  infantry  exclusively  for  their  defence 
at  night,  relieving  them  from  any  further  share  in 
labor  and  from  every  other  duty.  It  was  divided  into 
two  divisions,  to  one  of  which  was  alternately  com- 
mitted the  protection  of  our  works.  On  the  succeed- 
ing night  Brown  renewed  his  attempt  in  the  same 
quarter;  and  for  a  long  time  the  struggle  was  con- 
tinued with  mutual  pertinacity,  till  at  length  captain 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    103 

Rudolph,  by  a  combined  charge  with  the  bayonet, 
cleared  the  trenches,  driving  the  enemy  with  loss  to 
his  strong  hold.  On  the  30th  the  timber  required  to 
build  the  proposed  Mayham  tower  was  prepared  and 
conveyed  to  the  intended  site.  In  the  evening  we 
commenced  its  erection,  under  cover  of  an  old  house 
to  conceal  our  object  from  the  enemy.  In  the  course 
of  the  night  and  ensuing  day  we  had  brought  our 
tower  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  enemy's  parapet,  and 
began  to  fill  its  body  with  fascines,  earth,  stone,  brick, 
and  every  other  convenient  rubbish,  to  give  solidity 
and  strength  to  the  structure.  At  the  same  time  the 
adjacent  works,  in  the  rear  of  the  fort,  were  vigorously 
pushed  to  the  enemy's  left  to  connect  them  with  the 
tower,  which  was  the  point  of  their  termination. 

Brown's  attention  was  soon  drawn  to  this  quarter; 
and,  penetrating  the  use  to  which  the  log  building 
would  be  applied,  he  determined  to  demolish  it  with- 
out delay. 

Pickens  and  Lee,  well  assured  from  what  had 
passed  that  their  judicious  opponent  would  leave 
nothing  unessayed  within  his  power  to  destroy  their 
tower, — on  the  completion  of  which  their  expecta- 
tion of  immediate  success  chiefly  depended, — de- 
termined to  prepare  before  night  for  the  counter- 
action of  any  attempt  which  might  be  made.  The 
lines  in  that  quarter,  entrusted  to  the  militia,  were 
doubly  manned;  and  Handy's  division  of  the  in- 
fantry, though  on  duty  every  other  night,  was  drawn 
from   the   river  quarter  to  maintain   the   militia. — 


104  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

The   North   Carolina    battalion    supplied   its   place; 
and  to  captain  Handy  on  one  side,  and  to  captain 
Rudolph  on  the  other  (approved  officers),  were  com- 
mitted henceforward  the  protection  of  our  lines.    The 
tower  was  designated  as  the  peculiar  object  of  atten- 
tion, and  to  its  defence  one  company  of  musketry  was 
exclusively  applied.    Not  more  than  one  third  of  the 
night  had  passed  when  the  enemy  began  to  move; 
concealing  his  real  object  by  renewing  his  attempt 
upon   the   river   quarter,  where    Rudolph,   with   his 
accustomed  gallantry,   gave  him  a  warm  reception. 
While  the  contest  here  was  bravely  urged,  and  as 
bravely  sustained,  lieutenant  colonel  Brown  with  the 
elite  of  his  garrison  fell  upon  our  works  in  his  rear. 
Here  for  awhile  the  militia  of  Pickens  contended  with 
vigor,  but  at  length  were  forced  by  the  bayonet  out 
of  the  trenches.   Handy,  leaving  one  company  at  the 
tower,  with  his  main  body  hastened  to  support  the 
militia,  who  very  gallantly  united  with  the  regulars, 
and  turned  upon  the  successful  foe.  The  conflict  be- 
came furious;  but  at  length  the  Mary  landers  under 
Handy  carried  the  victory  by  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 
Upon  this  occasion  the  loss  on  both  sides  exceeded 
all  which  had  occurred   during  the  siege.    Brown, 
finding  that  every  effort  to  destroy  our  works  by  open 
war  proved  ineffectual,  now  resorted  to  stratagem. 
Lee  had  omitted  to  put  down,*  as  was  originally 

*  This  omission  resulted  from  that  spirit  of  procrastination 
common  to  man,  and  was  certainly  highly  reprehensible.  Luckily 
no  injury  resulted,  whereas  very  great  might  have  ensued. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    105 

intended,  the  old  wooden  house,  under  cover  of  which 
the  tower  had  been  commenced,  and  which  by  acci- 
dentally taking  fire  would  have  probably  consumed 
it.  This  house  attracted  Brown's  notice,  and  he  deter- 
mined, by  burning  it,  to  rid  himself  of  the  tower.  He 
had  by  this  time  erected  a  platform  in  one  of  the  angles 
of  the  fort  opposite  to  our  Mayham  tower,  and  which, 
being  mounted  with  two  of  his  heaviest  pieces  of  ord- 
nance, opened  upon  it  before  it  was  finished. 

Nevertheless  the  exertions  of  the  builders  did  not 
slacken,  and  on  the  first  of  June  the  tower  was  com- 
pleted, and  was  found  to  overlook  the  enemy's  parapet. 
The  upper  logs  having  been  sawed  to  let  in  an  embra- 
sure for  our  six  pounder,  it  only  remained  to  make 
an  apron  upon  which  the  matrosses  could  draw  up 
their  piece  to  the  floor  of  the  tower. 

This  was  done  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  at 
dawn  on  the  second  our  six  pounder  was  mounted, 
completely  commanding  the  enemy's  fort.  Finley 
instantly  announced  his  readiness  to  act  by  returning 
the  enemy's  cannonade,  which  had  been  continued 
without  intermission.  Before  noon  the  enemy's  two 
pieces  were  dismounted  from  the  platform,  and  all 
the  interior  of  the  fort  was  raked,  excepting  the 
segment  nearest  to  the  tower  and  some  other  spots 
sheltered  by  traverses.  It  was  now  that  lieutenant 
colonel  Brown  determined  to  put  in  execution  his 
concerted  stratagem.  In  the  course  of  the  night  a  de- 
serter from  the  fort  was  sent  to  lieutenant  colonel  Lee. 

Vol.  II.  O 


106  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

He  was  a  Scot,  with  all  the  wily  sagacity  of  his 
country,  and  a  sergeant  of  the  artillery.  Upon  being 
questioned  upon  the  effect  of  our  cannonade,  and  the 
situation  of  the  enemy, — he  answered,  that  the  strange 
loghouse  lately  erected,  gave  an  advantage,  which, 
duly  improved,  could  not  fail  to  force  surrender;  but 
that  the  garrison  had  not  suffered  so  much  as  might 
be  presumed;  that  it  was  amply  supplied  with  provi- 
sions, and  was  in  high  spirits.  In  the  course  of  the 
conversation  which  followed,  Lee  inquired,  in  what 
way  could  the  effect  of  the  cannonade  be  increased? 
Very  readily,  replied  the  crafty  sergeant:  that  knowing 
the  spot  where  all  the  powder  in  the  fort  was  deposited, 
with  red  hot  balls  from  the  six  pounder,  directed  pro- 
perly, the  magazine  might  be  blown  up.  This  intel- 
ligence was  received  with  delight,  and  the  suggestion 
of  the  sergeant  seized  with  avidity,  although  it  would 
be  very  difficult  to  prepare  our  ball,  as  we  were  un- 
provided with  a  furnace.  It  was  proposed  to  the  ser- 
geant, that  he  should  be  sent  to  the  officer  command- 
ing our  battery,  and  give  his  aid  to  the  execution 
of  his  suggestion,  with  assurances  of  liberal  reward 
in  case  of  success.  This  proposition  was  heard  with 
much  apparent  reluctance,  although  every  disposition 
to  bring  the  garrison  to  submission  was  exhibited  by 
the  sergeant,  who  pretended  that  Brown  had  done  him 
many  personal  injuries  in  the  course  of  service.  But  he 
added,  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  put  himself  in 
danger  of  capture,  as  he  well  knew  he  should  be  exe- 
cuted on  a  gibbet,  if  taken.  A  good  supper  was  now 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    107 

presented  to  him,  with  his  grog;  which  being  finished, 
and  being  convinced  by  the  arguments  of  Lee,  that 
his  personal  safety  could  not  be  endangered,  as  it  was 
not  desired  or  meant  that  he  should  take  any  part  in 
the  seige,  but  merely  to  attend  at  the  tower  to  direct 
the  pointing  of  the  piece,  he  assented;  declaring  that 
he  entered  upon  his  task  with  dire  apprehensions,  and 
reminding  the  lieutenant  colonel  of  his  promised  re- 
ward. Lee  instantly  put  him  in  care  of  his  adjutant, 
to  be  delivered  to  captain  Finley,  with  the  information 
communicated,  for  the  purpose  of  blowing  up  the 
enemy's  magazine.  It  was  midnight;  and  lieutenant 
colonel  Lee,  expecting  on  the  next  day  to  be  much 
engaged,  our  preparations  being  nearly  completed,  re- 
tired to  rest.  Reflecting  upon  what  had  passed,  and 
recurring  to  the  character  of  his  adversary,  he  became 
much  disquieted  by  the  step  he  had  taken,  and  soon 
concluded  to  withdraw  the  sergeant  from  the  tower. 
He  had  not  been  many  minutes  with  captain  Finley, 
before  an  order  remanding  him  was  delivered,  com- 
mitting him  to  the  quarter  guard.  In  the  morning  we 
were  saluted  with  a  new  exhibition,  unexpected  though 
not  injurious.  Between  the  quarters  of  Lee  and  the  fort 
stood  four  or  five  deserted  houses;  some  of  them  near 
enough  to  the  fort  to  be  used  with  effect  by  riflemen 
from  their  upper  stories.  They  had  often  engaged  the 
attention  of  Pickens  and  Lee,  with  a  view  of  applying 
them,  whenever  the  enemy  should  be  assaulted,  to  aid 
in  covering  their  attack.  Brown,  sallying  out  before 
break  of  day,  sat  fire  to  all  but  two  of  the  houses.  No 


108  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

attempt  was  made  to  disturb  the  operation,  or  to  ex- 
tinguish  the  flames  after  the  enemy  had  returned;  it 
being  deemed  improper  to  hazard  our  troops  in  effect- 
ing an)'  object  not  material  in  its  consequence.  Of  the 
two  left,  one  was  most  commodious  for  the  purpose 
originally  contemplated  by  Pickens  and  Lee  in  the 
hour  of  assault. 

The  besiegers  being  incapable  of  discovering  any 
reason  for  the  omission  to  burn  the  two  houses,  and 
especially  one  nearest  the  fort,  various  were  their  con- 
jectures as  to  the  cause  of  sparing  them:  some  leading 
to  the  conclusion  that  they  were  left  purposely,  and 
consequently  with  the  view  of  injuring  the  assailant. 
The  fire  from  the  tower  continued,  and  being  chiefly- 
directed  against  the  parapet  fronting  the  river,  in  which 
quarter  the  proposed  attack  would  be  directed,  demon- 
strated satisfactorily  that  the  hour  had  arrived  to  make 
the  decisive  appeal.  Orders  were  accordingly  issued 
to  prepare  for  the  assault,  to  take  place  on  the  next 
day  at  the  hour  of  nine  in  the  forenoon.  In  the  course 
of  the  night,  a  party  of  the  best  marksmen  were  se- 
lected from  Pickens'  militia,  and  sent  to  one  of  the 
houses  nearest  to  the  fort. 

The  officer  commanding  this  detachment,  was  or- 
dered to  arrange  his  men  in  the  upper  story,  for  the 
purpose  of  ascertaining  the  number  which  could  with 
ease  use  their  rifles  out  of  the  windows,  or  any  other 
convenient  aperture;  then  to  withdraw,  and  report  to 
the  brigadier.  It  was  intended,  before  daylight,  to 
have  directed  the  occupation  of  the  house  by  the  same 


Southern  Department  of  the  Linked  States.    109 

officer,  with  such  a  force  of  riflemen  as  he  should  re- 
port to  be  sufficient.  Handy  was  ordered  to  return  to 
the  river  quarter  at  the  dawn  of  day,  as  to  his  detach- 
ment and  the  legion  infantry  the  main  assault  would 
be  committed.  These,  with  all  the  other  preparations, 
being  made,  the  troops  continued  in  their  usual  sta- 
tions,— pleased  that  the  time  was  near  which  would 
close  with  success  their  severe  toils. 

About  three  in  the  morning  of  the  fourth  of  June, 
we  were  aroused  by  a  violent  explosion,  which  was 
soon  discovered  to  have  shattered  the  very  house  in- 
tended to  be  occupied  by  the  rifle  party  before  day- 
break. It  was  severed  and  thrown  into  the  air  thirty 
or  forty  feet  high,  its  fragments  falling  all  over  the 
field.  This  explained,  at  once,  not  only  the  cause  of 
Brown's  omitting  its  destruction,  but  also  communi- 
cated the  object  of  the  constant  digging  which  had 
until  lately  employed  the  besieged. 

Brown  pushed  a  sap  to  this  house,  which  he  pre- 
sumed would  be  certainly  possessed  by  the  besieger, 
when  ready  to  strike  his  last  blow;  and  he  concluded, 
from  the  evident  maturity  of  our  works,  and  from  the 
noise  made  by  the  militia,  when  sent  to  the  house  in 
the  first  part  of  the  night,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertain- 
ing the  number  competent  to  its  capacity,  that  the  ap- 
proaching morning  was  fixed  for  the  general  assault. 
Not  doubting  but  the  house  was  occupied  with  the 
body  destined  to  hold  it,  he  determined  to  deprive  his 
adversary  of  every  aid  from  this  quarter;  hoping,  too, 
by  the  consternation  which  the  manner  of  destruction 


** 


110  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

could  not  fail  to  excite,  to  damp  the  ardor  of  the 
troops  charged  with  storming. 

Happily  he  executed  his  plan  too  early  for  its  suc- 
cess, or  our  gallant  band  would  certainly  have  shared 
the  fate  of  the  house.  This  fortunate  escape  excited 
grateful  sensations  in  the  breasts  of  the  two  comman- 
dants, for  the  gracious  interposition  of  Providence;  and 
added  another  testimonial  to  the  many  already  receiv- 
ed, of  the  penetration  and  decision  which  marked  the 
character  of  their  opponent.  The  hour  of  nine  ap- 
proached, and  the  columns  for  assault  were  in  array, 
waiting  the  signal  of  advance.  Pickens  and  Lee  hav- 
ing determined,  as  intercourse  with  the  fort  was  now 
open,  to  present  to  the  enemy  another  opportunity  of 
avoiding  the  impending  blow  by  capitulation,  a  flag 
was  despatched  on  the  3d  of  June,  with  a  joint  letter 
from  the  American  commanders,  adapted  to  the  occa- 
sion. Lieutenant  colonel  Brown,  in  reply,  repeated  his 
determination  to  defend  the  post.  This  resolution 
could  not  be  maintained;  and  on  the  next  day  an  of- 
ficer, with  a  flag,  proceeded  from  the  fort.  The  bearer 
was  received  at  the  margin  of  our  trenches,  and  pre- 
sented a  letter  addressed  to  the  two  commandants, 
offering  to  surrender  upon  conditions  detailed  in  the 
communication.  Some  of  these  being  inadmissible, 
the  offer  was  rejected,  and  other  propositions  made, 
which  would  be  ratified  by  them,  if  acceded  to  by 
lieutenant  colonel  Brown.  This  discussion  produced 
the  delay  of  one  day,  which  was  gratifying  to  Brown; 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    Ill 

it  being  unpleasant  to  surrender  on  the  birth-day  of 
his  king.*  The  terms,  as  altered,  were  accepted;  and 

*  Brigadier  Pickens  and  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  to  lieutenant  colonel 

Brown. 

Augusta,  May  3 1  st,  1781. 
Sir, 

The  usage  of  war  renders  it  necessary  that  we  present  you 
with  an  opportunity  of  avoiding  the  destruction  which  impends 
your  garrison. 

We  have  deferred  our  summons  to  this  late  date,  to  preclude 
the  necessity  of  much  correspondence  on  the  occasion.  You  see 
the  strength  of  the  investing  forces;  the  progress  of  our  works; 
and  you  may  inform  yourself  of  the  situation  of  the  two  armies, 
by  inquiries  from  captain  Armstrong,  of  the  legion,  who  has  the 
honor  to  bear  this. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Brown,  in  answer,  to  Pickens  and  Lee. 
Gentlemen, 
What  progress  you  have  made  in  your  works  I  am  no  stranger 
to.  It  is  my  duty  and  inclination  to  defend  this  place  to  the  last 
extremity. 

Pickens  and  Lee,  to  lieutenant  colonel  Brown. 

Augusta,  June  3d,  1781. 
Sir, 

It  is  not  our  disposition  to  press  the  unfortunate.  To  prevent 
the  effusion  of  blood,  which  must  follow  perseverance  in  your 
fruitless  resistance,  we  inform  you,  that  we  are  willing,  though 
in  the  grasp  of  victory,  to  grant  such  terms  as  a  comparative 
view  of  our  respective  situations  can  warrant. 

Your  determination  wiil  be  considered  as  conclusive,  and  will 
regulate  our  conduct. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Brown,  to  Pickens  and  Lee. 

Fort  Cornwallis,  June  3d,  178i. 
Gentlemen, 

I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  summons 


112  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  5th  was  designated 
for  the  delivery  of  the  fort,  &c.  to  captain  Rudolph, 

of  this  day,  and  to  assure  you,  that  as  it  is  my  duty,  it  is  likewise 
my  inclination,  to  defend  the  post  to  the  last  extremity. 

Pickens  and  Lee,  to  lieutenant  colonel  Brown, 

Headquarters,  June  4th,  1781. 
Sir, 

We  beg  leave  to  propose,  that  the  prisoners  in  your  posses- 
sion may  be  sent  out  of  the  fort;  and  that  they  may  be  considered 
yours  or  ours,  as  the  siege  may  terminate. 

Confident  that  you  cannol  oppose  the  dictate  of  humanity  and 
custom  of  war,  we  have  only  to  say,  that  any  request  from  you, 
of  a  similar  nature,  will  meet  our  assent. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Brown,  to  Pickens  and  Lee. 
Gentlemen, 
Though  motives  of  humanity,  and  a  feeling  for  the  distresses 
of  individuals,  incline  me  to  accede  to  what  you  have  proposed 
concerning  the  prisoners  with  us;  yet  many  reasons,  to  which 
you  cannot  be  strangers,  forbid  my  complying  with  this  requi- 
sition. Such  attention  as  I  can  show,  consistently  with  good  policy 
and  my  duty,  shall  be  shown  to  them. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Brown  to  Pickens  and  Lee. 
Gentlemen, 
In  your  summons  of  the  3d  instant,  no  particular  conditions 
were  specified;  I  postponed  the  consideration  of  it  to  this  day. 

From  a  desire  to  lessen  the  distresses  of  war  to  individuals,  I 
am  inclined  to  propose  to  you  my  acceptance  of  the  inclosed 
terms;  which  being  pretty  similar  to  those  granted  to  the  com- 
manding officers  of  the  American  troops  and  garrison  in  Charles- 
ton, I  imagine  will  be  honorable  to  both  parties. 

Pickens 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    113 

appointed  on  the  part  of  the  victors  to  take  possession 
of  it  with  its  appurtenances.  At  the  appointed  hour 

Pickens  and  Lee,  to  lieutenant  colonel  Brown. 

June  5th,  1781. 
Sir, 

There  was  a  time  when  your  proposals  of  this  day  ought  to 
have  been  accepted.  That  period  is  now  passed.  You  had  every 
notice  from  us,  and  must  have  known  the  futility  of  your  further 
opposition. 

Although  we  should  be  justified  by  the  military  law  of  both 
armies  to  demand  unconditional  submission,  our  sympathy  for 
the  unfortunate  and  gallant  of  our  profession,  has  induced  us  to 
grant  the  honorable  terms  which  we  herewith  transmit. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Brown  to  Pickens  and  Lee. 

June  5th,  1781. 
Gentlemen, 

Your  proposition  relative  to  the  officers  of  the  king's  troops 
and  militia  being  admitted  to  their  paroles,  and  the  exclusion  of 
the  men,  is  a  matter  I  cannot  accede  to. 

The  conditions  I  have  to  propose  to  you  are,  that  such  of  the 
different  classes  of  men  who  compose  this  garrison  be  permitted 
to  march  to  Savannah,  or  continue  in  the  country,  as  to  them  may 
be  most  eligible,  until  exchanged. 

Pickens  and  Lee,  to  lieutenant  colonel  Brown. 

June  5th,  1781. 
Sir, 

In  our  answer  of  this  morning,  we  granted  the  most  generous 

terms  in  our  power  to  give,  which  we  beg  leave  to  refer  to  as 

final  on  our  part. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Brown,  to  Pickens  and  Lee. 
Gentlemen, 
As  some  of  the  articles  proposed  by  you  are  generally  express- 

Vol.  II.  P 


114  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

the  British  garrison  marched  out,  lieutenant  colonel 
Brown  having  been  taken  into  the  care  of  captain 

ed,  I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  deputing  three  gentlemen  to  wait 
upon  you,  for  a  particular  explanation  of  the  respective  articles. 

Articles  of  Capitulation,  firofwsed  by  lieutenant  colonel  Thomas 

Brown,  and  answered  by  general  Picke?is  and  lieutenant  colonel 

Lee. 

Article  1st.  That  all  acts  of  hostilities  and  works  shall  cease 
between  the  besiegers  and  besieged,  until  the  articles  of  capitu- 
lation shall  be  agreed  on,  signed  and  executed,  or  collectively 
rejected. 

Answer.  Hostilities  shall  cease  for  one  hour;  other  operations 
to  continue. 

Art.  2d.  That  the  fort  shall  be  surrendered  to  the  commanding 
officer  of  the  American  troops,  such  as  it  now  stands.  That  the 
king's  troops,  three  days  after  signing  the  articles  of  capitulation, 
shall  be  conducted  to  Savannah,  with  their  baggage;  where  they 
will  remain  prisoners  of  war  until  they  are  exchanged.  That  pro- 
per conveyances  shall  be  provided  by  the  commanding  officer  of 
the  American  troops  for  that  purpose,  together  with  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  good  and  wholesome  provisions  till  their  arrival  at 
Savannah. 

Ans.  Inadmissible.  The  prisoners  to  surrender  field  prisoners 
of  war:  the  officers  to  be  indulged  with  their  paroles;  the  soldiers 
to  be  conducted  to  such  place  as  the  commander  in  chief  shall 
direct. 

Art.  3d.  The  militia  now  in  garrison  shall  be  permitted  to  re- 
turn to  their  respective  homes,  and  be  secured  in  their  persons 
and  properties. 

Ans.  Answered  by  the  second  article,  the  militia  making  part 
of  the  garrison. 

Art.  4.  The  sick  and  wounded  shall  be  under  the  care  of  their 
own  surgeons,  and  be  supplied  with  such  medicines  and  neces- 
saries as  are  allowed  to  the  British  hospitals.  Ans. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States,    115 

Armstrong,  of  the  dragoons,  with  a  safe  guard  to  pro- 
tect his  person  from  threatened  violence.*  This  pre- 

Ans.  Agreed. 

Art.  5,  The  officers  of  the  garrison,  and  citizens  who  have 
borne  arms  during  the  siege,  shall  keep  their  side  arms,  pistols, 
and  baggage,  which  shall  not  be  searched,  and  retain  their  ser- 
vants. 

Ans.  The  officers,  and  citizens  who  have  borne  arms  during  the 
siege,  shall  be  permitted  their  side  arms,  private  baggage,  and 
servants;  their  side  arms  not  to  be  worn,  and  the  baggage  to  be 
searched  by  a  person  appointed  for  that  purpose. 

Art.  6th.  The  gamson,  at  an  hour  appointed,  shall  march  out 
with  shouldered  arms  and  drums  beating,  to  a  place  agreed  on, 
where  they  will  pile  their  arms. 

Ans.  Agreed.  The  judicious  and  gallant  defence  made  by  the 
garrison,  entitles  them  to  every  mark  of  military  respect.  The 
fort  to  be  delivered  up  to  captain  Rudolph  at  twelve  o'clock,  who 
will  take  possession  with  a  detachment  of  the  legion  infantry. 

Art.  7. 

*  This  precaution  was  indispensable.  Already  had  the  huma- 
nity of  the  besieging  corps  been  dreadfully  outraged  by  the 
slaughter  of  colonel  Grierson,  and  some  of  his  associates.  To 
risk  a  repetition  of  the  same  barbarity,  would  have  justly  exposed 
the  commandants  to  reproach  and  censure.  It  was  determined  to 
take  measures  in  time  to  prevent  such  an  issue.  Lieutenant  colo- 
nel Brown's  life  was,  we  knew,  sought  with  avidity;  consequently 
it  became  our  duty  to  secure  his  person  before  the  garrison 
marched  out.  Brown  had  himself  suffered  very  cruel  and  injuri- 
ous personal  treatment  in  the  beginning  of  the  revolution;  and 
succeeding  events  more  and  more  embittered  both  himself  and 
the  Georgia  militia,  heretofore  his  only  opponents,  till  at  length 
in  this  quarter  a  war  of  extermination  became  the  order  of  the 
day. 


116  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

caution,  suggested  by  our  knowledge  of  the  inveteracy 
with  which  the  operations  in  this  quarter  had  been 
conducted  on  both  sides,  turned  out  to  be  extremely 
fortunate;  as  otherwise,  in  all  probability,  the  laurels 
acquired  by  the  arms  of  America  would  have  been 
stained  by  the  murder  of  a  gallant  soldier,  who  had 
committed  himself  to  his  enemy  on  their  plighted 

Art.  7.  That  the  citizens  shall  be  protected  in  their  persons 
and  properties. 

Ans.  Inadmissible. 

Art.  8.  That  twelve  months  shall  be  allowed  to  all  such  as  do 
not  choose  to  reside  in  this  country,  to  dispose  of  their  effects, 
real  and  personal,  in  this  province,  without  any  molestation  what- 
ever; or  to  remove  to  any  part  thereof  as  they  may  choose,  as  well 
themselves  as  families. 

Ans.  Inadmissible. 

Art.  9.  That  the  Indian  families  now  in  garrison,  shall  accom- 
pany the  king's  troops  to  Savannah,  where  they  will  remain  pri- 
soners of  war  until  exchanged  for  an  equal  number  of  prisoners 
in  the  Creek  or  Cherokee  nations. 

Ans.  Answered  in  the  second  article. 

Art.  10.  That  an  express  be  permitted  to  go  to  Savannah  with 
the  commanding  officer's  despatches,  which  are  not  to  be  opened. 

Ans.  Agreed. 

Art.  11.  (Additional.)  The  particular  attention  of  colonel 
Brown  is  expected  towards  the  just  delivery  of  all  public  stores, 
moneys,  &c;  and  that  no  loans  be  permitted  to  defeat  the  spirit 
of  this  article. 

Signed  at  Headquarters,  Augusta,  June  5th,  1781,  by 
Andrew  Pickens,  Brig.  Militia. 
Henry  Lee,  jun.  Lt.  Col.  Commandant,  V.L. 
Thomas  Brown,  Lt.  Col.  commanding  the 
king's  troops  at  Augusta 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States,    117 

faith.  Brown  was  conveyed  to  Lee's  quarters,  where 
he  continued  until  the  next  day,  when  himself  and  a 
kw  of  his  officers  were  paroled,  and  sent  down  the 
river  to  Savannah,  under  the  care  of  captain  Arm- 
strong, with  a  party  of  infantry,  who  had  orders  to 
continue  with  lieutenant  colonel  Brown  until  he 
should  be  placed  out  of  danger.  During  the  few  hours' 
residence  in  Lee's  quarters,  the  British  colonel  inquir- 
ed after  his  artillery  sergeant,  who  had,  a  few  nights 
before,  deserted  from  the  fort.  Upon  being  told  that 
he  was  in  the  quarter  guard,  he  took  the  first  oppor- 
tunity of  soliciting  from  Lee  his  restitution;  frankly 
declaring  that  he  was  no  deserter,  but  was  purposely 
sent  out  by  him  in  that  character,  to  destroy  by  fire  the 
newly  erected  loghouse,  which  he  plainly  discerned  to 
be  destructive  to  his  safety,  and  which  his  sergeant 
undertook  to  do,  while  pretending  to  direct  our  fire 
with  the  view  of  blowing  up  the  magazine  of  the  fort. 
This  communication  showed  the  danger  to  which 
the  besiegers  were  exposed  for  a  few  minutes,  by  the 
readiness  with  which  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  entered 
into  the  plan  of  the  deserter,  but  which,  upon  further 
reflection,  he  fortunately  changed;  and  demonstrates 
the  great  caution  with  which  the  oifer  of  aid  from  de- 
serters ought  to  be  received;  especially  when  coming 
from  a  besieged  fortress  on  the  point  of  surrender,  and 
in  the  care  of  an  experienced  and  sagacious  soldier. 
The  request  of  lieutenant  colonel  Brown  was  granted, 
and  his  sergeant  with  joy  rejoined  his  commander.  As 
soon  as  the  capitulation  was  signed,  preparations  for 


118  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

decamping  were  begun,  and  earl)-  the  next  morning, 
the  baggage  of  the  corps  under  Lee  was  transported 
across  the  Savannah;  about  noon,  the  infantry  follow- 
ed; and  in  the  evening  of  the  6th,  Lee  joined  with  his 
cavalry;  proceeding  with  expedition  to  Ninety-Six,  in 
obedience  to  orders  from  general  Greene.  Brigadier 
Pickens  remained  at  Augusta  until  conveyance  for 
the  stores  taken  there  and  at  fort  Galphin  could  be 
provided;  which  being  accomplished  in  a  few  days,  he 
also  marched  for  headquarters.  Without  delay,  after 
the  British  garrison  had  laid  down  their  arms,  did 
Pickens  and  Lee  despatch  intelligence  of  the  event  to 
Greene;  who  announcing  the  success  in  general  orders, 
was  pleased  to  express  to  the  two  commandants,  and 
their  respective  corps,  the  high  sense  he  entertained 
of  their  merit  and  service,  with  his  thanks  for  the  zeal 
and  vigor  exhibited  in  the  execution  of  the  duty  as- 
signed  to  them.  Lee  pressing  forward  with  despatch, 
reached  Ninety- Six  on  the  forenoon  of  the  8th.  Two 
routes  led  south  of  the  enemy  to  the  American  head- 
quarters, which  had  been  established  on  the  enemy's 
right.  The  officer  despatched  with  the  garrison  of  fort 
Cornwallis  in  his  charge,  mistaking  the  intended 
course,  took  the  road  nearest  to  the  town,  which 
brought  his  troops  under  command  of  the  enemy's 
batteries  for  a  small  distance.  Believing  that  the  ex- 
hibition was  designed  with  a  view  to  insult  the  feel- 
ings of  the  garrison,  lieutenant  colonel  Cruger  gave 
orders  for  the  contiguous  batteries  to  open  upon  this 
corps,  notwithstanding  it  enveloped  his  fellow  soldiers 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    119 

taken  at  Augusta,  and  was  very  near  chastising  the 
supposed  bravado,  which  in  fact  was  only  the  error  of 
the  conducting  officer.  Luckily  no  injury  was  sustain- 
ed; but  the  officer  was  very  severely  reprimanded  by 
lieutenant  colonel  Lee,  for  the  danger  to  which  his 
inadvertence  had  exposed  the  corps. 

General  Greene  had  exerted  himself,  with  unremit- 
ting industry,  to  complete  the  works  against  the  star 
redoubt;  to  which  single  object  colonel  Koschiusko 
directed  all  his  efforts.  The  enemy's  left  had  been  en- 
tirely neglected,  although  in  that  quarter  was  procured 
the  whole  supply  of  water.*  As  soon  as  the  corps  of 
Lee  entered  camp,  that  officer  was  directed  to  take 
post  opposite  to  the  enemy's  left,  and  to  commence 
regular  approaches  against  the  stockade.  Very  soon 
Lee  pushed  his  ditch  to  the  ground  designated  for  the 
erection  of  the  battery,  under  the  cover  of  which  the 
subsequent  approaches  would  be  made.  In  the  course  of 
the  next  day  this  battery  was  erected,  and  lieutenant 
Finn,  with  a  six  pounder,  took  possession  of  it.  The 
besiegers  advancing  closer  and  closer,  with  caution 

*  Koschiusko  was  extremely  amiable,  and,  I  believe,  a  truly 
good  man,  nor  was  he  deficient  in  his  professional  knowledge; 
but  he  was  very  moderate  in  talent, — not  a  spark  of  the  etherial 
in  his  composition.  His  blunders  lost  us  Ninety-Six;  and  general 
Greene,  much  as  he  was  beloved  and  respected,  did  not  escape 
criticism,  for  permitting  his  engineer  to  direct  the  manner  of 
approach.  It  was  said,  and  with  some  justice  too,  that  the  general 
ought  certainly  to  have  listened  to  his  opinion;  but  never  ought 
to  have  permitted  the  pursuit  of  error,  although  supported  by 
professional  authority. 


120  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

and  safety,  both  on  the  right  and  left,  lieutenant  colo- 
nel Cruger  foresaw  his  inevitable  destruction,  unless 
averted  by  the  approach  of  lord  Rawdon.  To  give 
time  for  the  desired  event,  he  determined,  by  noctur- 
nal sallies,  to  attempt  to  carry  our  trenches;  and  to 
destroy  with  the  spade  whatever  he  might  gain  by  the 
bayonet.  These  rencontres  were  fierce  and  frequent,  di- 
rected sometimes  upon  one  quarter  and  sometimes  upon 
another:  but  so  judicious  had  been  the  arrangements  of 
the  American  general  to  counteract  these  expected  at- 
tempts, that  in  no  one  instance  did  the  British  com- 
mandant succeed.  The  mode  adopted  was  nevertheless 
pursued  without  intermission;  and  although  failing  to 
effect  the  chief  object  contemplated,  became  extremely 
harassing  to  the  American  army, — whose  reposeduring 
the  night  was  incessantly  disturbed,  and  whose  labor 
in  the  day  was  as  incessantly  pressed.  Ignorant  of  the 
situation  and  prospects  of  the  British  general  as  lieu- 
tenant colonel  Cruger  continued  to  be,  he  nevertheless 
indulged  the  confidence,  that  every  effort  would  be 
made  for  his  relief,  and  persevered  with  firmness  and 
vigor  in  his  defence.  As  soon  as  the  second  parallel 
was  finished,  general  Greene  directed  colonel  Wil- 
liams, adjutant  general,  to  summon  the  British  com- 
mandant; stating  to  him  his  relative  situation,  and 
assuring  him  that  perseverance  in  resistance  would  be 
vain,  and  might  produce  disagreeable  consequences  to 
himself  and  garrison.  Cruger  returned,  by  his  adju- 
tant, a  verbal  answer;  declaring  his  determination  to 
hold  out  to  the  last  extremity,  and  his  perfect  disrc- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    121 

gard  of  general  Greene's  promises  or  threats.;  Failing 
in  this  attempt,  our  batteries  opened  from  the  second 
parallel,  under  cover  of  which  Koschiusko  pressed 
forward  his  approach  with  indefatigable  labor. 

Lord  Rawdon  heard,  with  deep  regret,  the  loss  of 
Augusta,  and  was  not  insensible  to  the  danger  which 
threatened  Ninety- Six;  but  destitute  of  the  means  to 
furnish  immediate  relief,  he  was  obliged  to  arm  him- 
self with  patience,  anxiously  hoping  that  every  south- 
ern gale  would  waft  to  hirrj  the  long  expected  and 
much  desired  reinforcement. 

On  the  3d  of  June  this  event  took  place,  and  his 
lordship  instantly  prepared  to  take  the  field.  On  the 
7th  he  set  out  from  Charleston  for  the  relief  of  Ninety- 
Six,  with  a  portion  of  the  three  regiments  just  arrived 
from  Ireland,  and  was  joined  on  his  route  by  the  troops 
from  Monk's  Corner,  giving  him  a  total  of  two  thou- 
sand men.  All  his  endeavors  to  transmit  information 
to  Cruger  having  failed,  his  lordship  apprehended, 
that,  pressed  by  the  difficulties  to  which  that  officer 
must  be  reduced,  and  despairing  of  succor,  he  might 
be  induced  to  surrender,  with  a  view  to  obtain  favorable 
conditions  for  his  garrison;  to  stop  which,  he  renewed 
his  efforts  to  advise  him  of  the  propitious  change  of 
his  condition,  and  his  consequent  advance  for  his 
relief. 

Greene  was  informed  by  Sumpter,  on  the  11th,  of 
the  arrival  from  Ireland,  and  of  the  measures  imme- 
diately taken  by  Rawdon  to  resume  offensive  opera- 
tions. Directing  Sumpter  to  keep  in  his  lordship's 

Vol.  IT,  Q 


122  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

front,  he  reinforced  him  with  all  his  cavalry,  conduct- 
ed by  lieutenant  colonel  Washington;  urging  the  bri- 
gadier to  exert  every  means  in  his  power  to  delay  the 
advance  of  the  British  army.  Marion  was  also  ordered 
to  hasten  from  the  lower  country,  as  soon  as  he  should 
discover  the  intention  of  Rawdon  to  move  upon  Greene; 
and  brigadier  Pickens,  just  joined  from  Augusta,  was 
detached  to  Sumpter. 

Our  approaches  continued  to  be  pushed  with  un- 
abated diligence,  in  the  expectation  and  hope  that  they 
might  be  brought  to  maturity  in  time  to  enforce  the 
submission  of  the  garrison,  before  the  British  general 
could  make  good  his  long  march. 

We  now  began  to  deplore  the  early  inattention  of 
the  chief  engineer  to  the  enemy's  left;  persuaded  that 
had  he  been  deprived  of  the  use  of  the  rivulet  in  the 
beginning  of  the  siege,  he  must  have  been  forced  to 
surrender  before  the  present  hour.  It  was  deemed 
practicable  to  set  fire  to  the  stockade  fort,  and  thus  to 
remove  the  water  defence  to  the  left  of  the  rivulet.  In 
the  succeeding  day,  a  dark  violent  storm  came  on 
from  the  west,  without  rain.  Lieutenant  colonel  Lee 
proposed  to  general  Greene  to  permit  him  to  make 
the  attempt.  This  being  granted,  a  sergeant  with  nine 
privates  of  the  legion  infantry,  furnished  with  combus- 
tible matter,  was  directed  to  approach  the  stockade 
in  the  most  concealed  direction,  under  cover  of  the 
storm,  while  the  batteries  in  every  quarter  opened 
upon  the  enemy,  and  demonstrations  of  striking  at  the 
star  redoubt  were  made,  with  the  expectation  of  di- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    123 

verting  his  attention  from  the  intrepid  party,  which, 
with  alacrity,  undertook  the  hazardous  enterprise.  The 
sergeant  conducted  his  gallant  band  in  the  best  man- 
ner; concealing  it  whenever  the  ground  permitted,  and 
when  exposed  to  view  moving  along  upon  the  belly.  At 
length  he  reached  the  ditch  with  three  others;  the 
whole  close  behind.  Here  unluckily  he  was  discovered, 
while  in  the  act  of  applying  his  fire.  Himself  and  five 
were  killed;  the  remaining  four  escaped  unhurt,  al- 
though many  muskets  were  discharged  at  them  Tun- 
ing through  the  field,  before  they  got  beyond  the 
nearest  rise  of  ground  which  could  cover  them  from 
danger.  After  this  disappointment,  nothing  remained 
but  to  force  our  works  to  maturity,  and  to  retard  the 
advance  of  the  British  army.  In  the  evening,  a  coun- 
tryman was  seen  riding  along  our  lines  south  of  the 
town,  conversing  familiarly  with  the  officers  and  sol- 
diers on  duty.  He  was  not  regarded,  as  from  the  be- 
ginning of  the  siege  our  friends  in  the  country  were 
in  the  habit  of  visiting  camp,  and  were  permitted  to 
go  wherever  their  curiosity  led  them,  one  of  whom 
this  man  was  presumed  to  be.  At  length  he  reached 
the  great  road  leading  directly  to  the  town,  in  which 
quarter  were  only  some  batteries  thrown  up  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  guards.  Putting  spur  to  his  horse,  he  rush- 
ed with  full  speed  into  town,  receiving  the  ineffectual 
fire  of  our  centinels  and  guards  nearest  to  him,  and 
holding  up  a  letter  in  his  hand  as  soon  as  he  cleared 
himself  of  our  fire.  The  propitious  signal  gave  joy  to 
the  garrison,  who  running  to  meet  their  friend,  open- 


424  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

ed  the  gate,  welcoming  his  arrival  with  loud  expres- 
sions of  joy.  He  was  the  bearer  of  a  despatch  from 
Rawdon  to  Cruger,  communicating  his  arrival  at 
Orangeburgh  in  adequate  force,  and  informing  him 
that  he  was  hastening  to  his  relief.  This  intelligence 
infused  new  vigor  into  the  intrepid  leader  and  his 
brave  companions. 

It  also  inspired  the  indefatigable  besieger  with  ad- 
ditional motives  to  push  to  conclusion  his  preparatives, 
as  he  now  yielded  up  every  hope  heretofore  derived 
from  Cruger's  ignorance  of  the  movement  of  the  Bri- 
tish general,  and  the  forwardness  of  our  works.  Major 
Greene,  who  commanded  in  the  star  with  great  ability, 
finding  that  our  third  parallel  was  nearly  finished,  and 
that  a  Mayham  tower  was  erecting  which  would  over- 
look his  parapet,  very  judiciously  covered  it  with 
sand-bags,  to  lessen  the  capacity  derived  from  supe- 
rior height,  leaving  between  each  bag  an  aperture  for 
the  use  of  his  riflemen.  Nor  were  the  approaches  on 
the  left  less  forward  than  those  on  the  right;  they  not 
only  were  directed  against  the.  stockade,  but  also  were 
carried  so  near  the  rivulet,  as  to  render  supplies  of 
water  difficult  and  precarious.  The  fire  during  the 
17th  was  so  effectual,  as  to  induce  the  enemy  to  with- 
draw his  guards  established  between  the  rivulet  and 
the  stockade;  and  parties  of  the  troops  on  the  left  were 
posted  in  various  points,  to  annoy  the  communication 
with  the  rivulet.  These  arrangements  succeeded 
throughout  the  day  completely,  and  the  enemy  suffer- 
ed greatly  from  this  privation,  though  accomplished 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    125 

too  late  to  produce  material  advantage.  Rawdon  con- 
tinued to  advance  by  forced  marches,  and  inclining  to 
his  right,  made  a  vigorous  push  to  throw  himself  be- 
tween Sumpter  and  Greene. 

In  this  effort  he  completely  succeeded,  and  thus 
baffled  all  the  measures  adopted  by  Greene  to  delay 
his  approach.  It  became  now  necessary  to  hazard 
assault  of  the  fort,  to  meet  Rawdon,  or  to  retire. 
The.  American  general  was  disposed  to  imitate  Caesar 
at  Alisia;  first  to  beat  the  relieving  army,  and  then  to 
take  the  besieged  town.  But  his  regular  force  did  but 
little  exceed  the  half  of  that  under  Rawdon,  which 
added  to  his  militia,  consisting  of  the  corps  of  Sump- 
ter, Marion  and  Pickens,  still  left  him  numerically 
inferior  to  the  British  general.  Nevertheless  confiding 
in  his  known  superiority  of  cavalry,  he  would  have 
given  battle  to  his  lordship,  could  he  have  left  an 
adequate  corps  to  attend  to  the  garrison.  Compelled 
to  relinquish  this  plan,  he  determined  to  storm  the 
fort,  although  his  works  were  yet  unfinished.  On  the 
right,  our  third  parallel  was  completed,  two  trenches 
and  a  mine  were  nearly  let  into  the  enemy's  ditch,  and 
the  Mayham  tower  was  finished. 

On  the  left,  our  trenches  were  within  twenty  yards 
of  his  ditch;  and  the  battery  directed  by  lieutenant 
Finn,  gave  to  the  assailant,  in  this  quarter,  advantages 
which,  well  supported,  ensured  success.  Greene, 
anxiously  as  he  desired  to  conclude  his  severe  toils 
in  triumph,  was  averse  to  the  unequal  contest  to  which 
he  must  necessarily  expose  his  faithful  troops,  and 


126  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

would  probably  have  decided  on  the  safe  course,  had 
not  his  soldiers,  with  one  voice,  intreated  to  be  led 
against  the  fort.  The  American  army  having  witness- 
ed the  unconquerable  spirit  which  actuated  their  ge- 
neral, as  well  as  the  unexpected  results  of  former 
battles,  could  not  brook  the  idea  of  abandoning  the 
siege,  without  one  bold  attempt  to  force  a  surrender. 
They  recollected,  with  pain  and  remorse,  that  by  the 
misbehaviour  of  one  regiment  at  the  battle  of  Guil- 
ford, and  of  another  at  Hobkick's  hill,  their  beloved 
general  had  been  deprived  of  his  merited  laurels;  and 
they  supplicated  their  officers  to  intreat  their  comman- 
der to  give  them  now  an  opportunity  of  obliterating 
preceding  disgrace.  This  generous  ardor  could  not  be 
resisted  by  Greene.  Orders  were  issued  to  prepare  for 
a  storm;  and  the  hour  of  twelve  on  the  next  day  (18th 
June)  was  appointed  for  the  assailing  columns  to  ad- 
vance by  signal  from  the  centre  battery. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Campbell,  of  the  first  Virginia 
regiment,  with  a  detachment  from  the  Maryland  and 
Virginia  brigades,  was  charged  with  the  attack  on  the 
left;  and  lieutenant  colonel  Lee,  with  the  legion  infan- 
try and  Kirkwood's  Delawares,  with  that  on  the  right. 
Lieutenants  Duval  of  Maryland,  and  Seldon  of  Virgi- 
nia, commanded  the  forlorn  hope  of  Campbell;  and 
captain  Rudolph,  of  the  legion,  that  of  Lee.  Fascines 
wrere  prepared  to  fill  up  the  enemy's  ditch,  long  poles 
with  iron  hooks  were  furnished  to  pull  down  the  sand- 
bags, with  every  other  thing  requisite  to  facilitate  the 
progress  of  the  assailant.  At  eleven  the  third  parallel 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    127 

was  manned,  and  our  sharp  shooters  took  their  station 
in  the  tower.  The  first  signal  was  announced  from  the 
centre  battery,  upon  which  the  assailing  columns  en- 
tered the  trenches;  manifesting  delight  in  the  expec- 
tation of  carrying  by  their  courage  the  great  prize  in 
view. 

At  the  second  cannon,  which  was  discharged  at  the 
hour  of  twelve,  Campbell  and  Lee  rushed  to  the  as- 
sault. Cruger,  always  prepared,  received  them  with 
his  accustomed  firmness.  The  parapets  were  manned 
with  spike  and  bayonet,  and  the  riflemen,  fixed  at  the 
sand-bag  apertures,  maintained  a  steady  and  destruc- 
tive fire.  Duval  and  Seldon  entered  the  enemy's  ditch 
at  different  points,  and  Campbell  stood  prepared  to 
support  them,  in  the  rear  of  the  party  furnished  with 
hooks  to  pull  down  the  sand- bags.  This  party  had 
also  entered  the  enemy's  ditch,  and  began  to  apply 
the  hook.  Uncovering  the  parapet  now  would  have 
given  us  victory;  and  such  was  the  vigorous  support 
afforded  by  the  musketry  from  the  third  parallel,  from 
the  riflemen  in  the  tower,  and  from  the  artillery  mount- 
ed in  battery,  that  sanguine  expectations  of  this  happy 
issue  were  universally  indulged.  The  moment  the  bags 
in  front  were  pulled  down,  Campbell  would  have 
mounted  the  parapet,  where  the  struggle  could  not 
have  been  long  maintained.  Cruger  had  prepared  an 
intermediate  battery  with  his  three  pieces,  which  he 
occasionally  applied  to  right  and  left.  At  first  it  was 
directed  against  Lee's  left,  but  very  soon  every  piece 


128  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

was  applied  upon  Campbell's  right,  which  was  very 
•injurious  to  his  column. 

Major  Greene,  commanding  in  the  star  redoubt, 
sensible  of  the  danger  to  which  he  was  exposed,  if  the 
attempted  lodgment  upon  his  front  curtain  succeeded, 
determined  to  try  the  bayonet  in  his  ditch  as  well  as 
on  his  parapet.  To  captains  Campbell  and  French  was 
committed  this  bold  effort.  Entering  into  the  ditch 
through  a  sally-port  in  the  rear  of  the  star,  they  took 
opposite  directions,  and  soon  came  in  contact,  the  one 
with  Duval,  the  other  with  Seldon.  Here  ensued  a 
desperate  conflict.  The  Americans,  not  only  fighting 
with  the  enemy  in  front  but  with  the  enemy  overhead, 
sustained  gallantly  the  unequal  contest,  until  Duval 
and  Seldon  became  disabled  by  wounds,  when  they 
yielded,  and  were  driven  back  with  great  loss  to  the 
point  of  entry.  The  few  surviving  escaped  with  the 
hookmen  to  our  trenches,  where  yet  remained  Camp- 
bell, the  sand- bags  not  being  removed.  On  the  left,  the 
issue  was  very  different.  Rudolph  gained  the  enemy's 
ditch,  and  followed  by  the  column,  soon  opened  his 
way  into  the  fort,  from  which  the  enemy,  giving  their 
last  fire,  precipitately  retreated.  Measures  were  in 
train  on  the  part  of  Lee,  to  follow  up  his  blow  by 
passing  the  rivulet,  entering  the  town,  and  forcing  the 
fortified  prison,  whence  the  left  might  have  yielded 
substantial  aid  to  the  attack  upon  the  star,  by  com- 
pelling Cruger  to  struggle  for  the  town,  or  forcing 
him  with  all  his  troops  to  take  refuge  in  the  star;  a  si- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    12.9 

tuation  not  long  to  be  held,  crowded  as  he  must  have 
been,  and  destitute  of  water.  The  adverse  fortune  ex- 
perienced in  the  assault  on  the  right,  made  the  mind 
of  Greene  return  to  his  cardinal  policy,  the  preserva- 
tion of  adequate  force  to  keep  the  field. 

Charmed  with  the  courage  displayed  in  his  view, 
and  regretting  its  disadvantageous  application,  he  sent 
orders  to  Campbell  to  draw  off,  and  to  Lee  to  desist 
from  further  advance,  but  to  hold  the  stockade  aban- 
doned by  the  enemy. 

Our  loss  amounted,  during  the  siege,  to  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-five  killed  and  wounded;  that  of  the 
garrison  to  eighty-five.  Captain  Armstrong,  of  the 
Maryland  line,  was  the  only  officer  killed  on  our  side, 
as  was  lieutenant  Roney  the  only  one  on  their  side. 
After  our  repulse,  Greene  sent  a  flag  to  lieutenant 
colonel  Cruger,  proposing  a  cessation  of  hostilities  for 
the  purpose  of  burying  the  dead;  but  as  to  the  burial 
of  the  dead  the  proposition  was  rejected,  Cruger  not 
choosing  to  admit  our  participation  in  a  ceremonial 
which  custom  had  appropriated  to  the  victor. 

As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  the  detachment  was  with- 
drawn from  the  stockade,  and  preparations  were  be- 
gun for  retreat. 

On  the  19th,  Greene  communicated  to  Sumpter  the 
event  of  the  preceding  day,  advised  him  of  the  route 
of  retreat,  and  ordered  the  corps  in  his  front,  with  the 
cavalry  under  Washington,  to  join  him  with  celerity. 
Taking  leave  of  Mrs.  Cruger  and  Mrs.  Greene,  and 

Vol.  II.  R 


130  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

leaving  for  the  protection  of  the  ladies  the  usual  guard,t 
until  Col.  Cruger  should  be  advised  of  his  retreat,  and 
take  his  measures  for  their  security,  the  American  gene- 
ral withdrew,  having  two  days  before  sent  forward  his 
sick  and  wounded.  During  the  preceding  night,  gloom 
and  silence  pervaded  the  American  camp:  every  one 
disappointed, — every  one  mortified.  Three  days  more, 
and  Ninety- Six  must  have  fallen;  but  this  short  space 
was  unattainable.  Rawdon  had  approached  our  vicinity 
with  a  force  not  to  be  resisted,  and  it  only  remained 
to  hold  the  army  safe,  by  resuming  that  system  which 
adverse  fortune  had  rendered  familiar  to  us.  Greene 
alone  preserved  his  equanimity;  and  highly  pleased  by 
the  unshaken  courage  displayed  in  the  assault,  an- 
nounced his  grateful  sense  of  the  conduct  of  the  troops, 
as  well  during  the  siege  as  in  the  late  heroic  attack; 
presaging  from  the  past,  the  happiest  result  whenever 
an  opportunity  should  be  presented  of  contending  with 

f  When  general  Greene  approached  Ninety-Six,  he  found  the 
ladies  of  lieutenant  colonel  Cruger  and  major  Greene  in  a  farm- 
house in  the  neighborhood.  The  American  general  tranquillized 
the  fears  of  the  ladies,  and  as  they  preferred  continuing  where 
they  were,  he  not  only  indulged  them,  but  placed  a  guard  at  the 
house  for  their  protection.  The  guard  was  left  until  lieutenant 
colonel  Cruger  was  apprized  of  our  departure,  when  he  sent  the 
guard  with  his  passport  to  rejoin  our  army.  Some  hours  after 
Greene  had  withdrawn,  one  of  our  light  parties,  absent  some 
days,  returned,  and  passing  by  the  farm-house,  was  going  directly 
to  our  late  camp  before  Ninety-Six,  when  Mrs.  Cruger  sending 
for  the  officer,  communicated  what  had  happened,  and  instructed 
him  to  overtake  the  retiring  general. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    131 

the  enemy  upon  equal  terms, — to  the  attainment  of 
which  his  best  exertions  would  be  invariably  directed, 
relying,  as  he  did,  upon  the  same  dauntless  spirit  re- 
cently exhibited.  Conscious  as  the  army  was  of  having 
done  its  duty,  it  derived  consolation  from  this  exhila- 
rating address,  and  burying  in  oblivion  the  grating 
repulse,  looked  forward  with  the  anticipation  of  soon 
displaying  their  courage  in  a  fair  and  decisive  battle. 

General  Greene,  moving  with  celerity,  gained  the 
Saluda,  where  he  was  joined  by  his  cavalry.  Forming 
his  rear-guard  of  his  horse,  the  legion  infantry  and 
Kirkwood's  Delawares,  he  continued  his  retreat  to- 
wards Charlotte  in  North  Carolina,  and  passed  suc- 
cessively the  Enoree,  the  Tiger  and  Broad  rivers,  his 
sick  and  wounded  continuing  to  precede  him. 

In  the  morning  of  the  21st,  the  British  army  reach- 
ed Ninety- Six,  having  for  fourteen  days  been  inces- 
santly pressing  forward  by  forced  marches;  exposed 
not  only  to  the  privations  inseparable  from  rapid  move- 
ment through  an  exhausted  country,  but  also  to  the 
southern  sun,  in  the  sultry  season  debilitating  and 
destructive. 

Here  followed  a  delightful  scene,  and  one  which 
soldiers  only  can  enjoy.  The  relieving  army  was  wel- 
comed with  the  fulness  of  gratitude  due  to  its  exer- 
tions and  their  effect.  Responsive  to  this  was  the  hearty 
applause  bestowed  on  the  garrison,  equally  merited  by 
the  courage  and  firmness  displayed  throughout  the  late 
trying  period.  Officer  embracing  officer,  and  soldiers 
mingling  with  soldiers,  gave  themselves  up  to  those 


132  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

gratulations  resulting  from  the  happy  conclusion  of 
their  mutual  toils  and  mutual  perils.  This  pleasing 
scene  lasted  only  a  few  hours;  for  Rawdon,  not  satis- 
fied with  the  relief  of  Ninety- Six,  flattered  himself 
with  adding  to  the  triumph  already  gained,  by  des- 
troying or  dispersing  the  army  of  Greene.  Having 
replaced  his  fatigued  and  sick  with  a  part  of  the  force 
under  Cruger,  notwithstanding  his  long  march,  not- 
withstanding the  sultry  season,  he  moved  in  the  even- 
ing in  pursuit  of  Greene. 

Passing  the  Saluda  he  pressed  forward  to  the 
Enoree,  on  the  south  side  of  which  his  van  came  up 
with  the  American  rear  under  Washington  and  Lee. 
Although  his  lordship  had,  during  his  repose  in  the 
lower  country,  continued  to  strengthen  himself  with  a 
newly  raised  corps  of  horse  under  major  Coffin,*  he 
did  not  derive,  in  this  excursion,  any  material  good 
from  this  accession  of  force.  No  attempt  was  hazarded 
against  the  American  rear,  which,  conscious  of  its 
superior  cavalry,  retired  slowly,  always  keeping  the 
British  van  in  view.  While  at  the  Enoree,  lord  Raw- 
don acquired  information  which  convinced  him  of  the 
impracticability  of  accomplishing  his  enterprise,  and 
induced  him  to  spare  his  harassed  troops  unnecessary 
increase  of  fatigue.  Halting  here  for  the  night,  the 
British  general  retraced  his  steps  next  morning  to 

*  The  corps  was  badly  mounted, — small  meagre  horses  being 
the  only  sort  procurable.  The  best  officers  and  the  best  riders, 
thus  horsed,  cannot  stand  tolerable  cavalry,  much  less  such  as 
then  composed  our  rear. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    133 

Ninety-Six.  This  being  made  known  to  Greene,  he 
directed  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  with  his  corps  to  fol- 
low the  enemy,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  and  com- 
municating intelligence.  After  reaching  Ninety- Six, 
Rawdon  prepared  to  evacuate  the  post;  and  having 
entered  into  arrangements  with  the  loyalists  of  that 
district  for  the  removal  of  themselves  and  families  into 
the  lines  intended  to  be  retained,  he  adopted  a  plan  of 
retreat  calculated  to  secure  the  undisturbed  execution 
of  his  views.  Despatching  orders  to  lieutenant  colonel 
Stuart  to  advance  with  his  regiment  from  Charleston, 
(and  to  take  in  his  charge  a  convoy  destined  for  the 
army)  to  Friday's  ferry  on  the  Congaree,  his  lordship, 
leaving  at  Ninety- Six  the  major  part  of  his  force,  took 
with  the  residue  the  direct  road  for  the  concerted  point 
of  junction. 

Cruger  was  ordered  to  hasten  the  preparations  ne- 
cessary for  the  removal  of  the  loyalists,  then  to  abandon 
the  theatre  of  his  glory,  and  by  taking  a  route  consi- 
derably to  his  lordship's  right,  to  interpose  the  river 
Edisto  between  himself  and  his  enemy,  moving  down 
its  southern  banks  to  Orangeburgh,  where  the  road 
from  Friday's  ferry  to  Charleston  crossed  that  river. 
This  disposition  was  advantageous  to  the  column  of 
Cruger,  which  was  the  most  vulnerable,  being  heavily 
encumbered  with  property  of  the  loyalists,  as  well  as 
with  the  public  stores.  But  it  would  not  have  availed, 
had  not  the  distance  from  Cruger  been  too  great  for 
Greene  to  overtake  him,  without  much  good  fortune, 
before  he  should  place  himself  behind  the  Edisto;  after 


134  Memoirs  of  the  War  m  the 

which  the  course  of  Cruger's  route  would  expose 
Greene  to  the  sudden  and  co-operative  attack  of  Raw- 
don  and  lieutenant  colonel  Stuart.  When  the  deter- 
mination of  the  British  general  to  abandon  Ninety- Six, 
and  with  it  all  the  upper  country  yet  held  by  him,  was 
communicated  to  Greene,  he  immediately  drew  near 
to  the  enemy,  in  order  to  seize  any  advantage  which 
might  present  itself;  previously  directing  his  hospital 
and  heavy  baggage  at  Winnsborough  to  be  removed 
to  Cambden.  As  soon  as  the  preparations  for  the  eva- 
cuation of  Ninety- Six  and  the  removal  of  the  loyalists 
had  advanced  to  their  desired  maturity,  Rawdon  sepa- 
rated himself  from  Cruger  and  marched  to  Friday's 
ferry;  inviting,  in  appearance,  the  American  general  t© 
strike  Cruger. 

For  the  reasons  before  assigned  this  course  of  ope- 
rations was  avoided,  and  general  Greene  decided  to 
pursue  Rawdon;  and  in  this  decision  he  was  confirmed 
by  the  information  derived  from  an  intercepted  letter 
from  lieutenant  colonel  Balfour,  the  commandant  of 
Charleston,  to  lord  Rawdon,  stating  the  reasons  which 
produced  the  recal  of  Stuart  with  his  corps,  after  he 
had  commenced  his  march  towards  Friday's  ferry,  in 
pursuance  of  orders  from  Cornwallis.  Lee  was  accor- 
dingly directed  to  continue  close  to  the  British  army, 
and  to  gain  its  front  upon  reaching  Friday's  ferry, 
where  he  would  find  Sumpter  and  Marion,  ordered  to 
take  the  same  position,  with  the  confident  expectation 
that  by  their  united  exertions  the  advance  of  lord 
Rawdon,  (uninformed  of  Stuart's  recal,)  should  he 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States,    135 

quit  his  position  on  the  Congaree,  might  be  retarded 
until  Greene  could  come  up  with  him.  Obeying  this 
order,  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  continued  on  the  left 
flank  and  rear  of  the  retiring  army;  when  finding  that 
his  lordship  had  halted  at  Friday's  ferry,  he  prepared 
in  the  course  of  the  night  to  pass  from  the  left  to  the 
right  flank  of  the  enemy,  the  Congaree  river  rendering 
this  change  in  direction  indispensable;  as  otherwise 
the  enemy's  front  could  not  be  gained,  who  was  on 
the  south  of  that  river,  and  Lee's  position  to  the  rear 
of  the  British  being  on  the  north  of  the  river.  Well 
apprized,  from  his  knowledge  of  the  adjacent  country 
acquired  when  before  fort  Granby,  that  only  the  rich 
»ul  settlement  south  of  Friday's  ferry  could  aflbrd 
8th-  sufficient  forage  for  the  British  army,  Lee  de- 
termined to  avail  himself  of  the  probable  chance  to 
strike  the  enemy  which  would  be  presented  the  ensu- 
ing morning  by  the  British  foragers.  In  the  evening 
he  directed  captain  Eggleston,  of  the  cavalry,  to  pro- 
ceed with  thirty  dragoons  along  the  enemy's  right, 
and  taking  with  him  Armstrong,  previously  despatch- 
ed in  that  quarter  with  a  reconnoitring  party,  to  make 
in  the  course  of  the  night  a  proper  disposition  of  his 
force  for  the  contemplated  purpose.  Eggleston  imme- 
diately joined  Armstrong,  and  repaired  to  the  expected 
theatre  of  action,  placing  himself  in  a  secret  and  con- 
venient position.  Soon  after  day-light,  the  next  morn- 
ing, a  foraging  party,  consisting  of  fifty  or  sixty  dra- 
goons and  some  wagons,  were  discovered  approaching 
the  very  farm  to  which  Eggleston  had  directed  his 


136  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

attention.  As  soon  as  the  wagons  and  escort  had  ad- 
vanced within  reach  of  Eggleston,  he  rushed  upon 
the  enemy,  broke  up  the  forages,  routed  the  party, 
and  brought  ofF  forty-five  dragoons  prisoners.  This 
handsomely  executed  stroke  was  the  more  agreeable, 
as  Eggleston,  by  his  judicious  position  and  rapid 
charge,  contrived  to  accomplish  his  object  without 
any  loss.  General  Greene  complimented  the  captain 
and  party  in  general  orders;  and  the  legion  horse  de- 
rived credit  with  the  enemy,  very  flattering  to  its  re- 
putation, from  the  brilliant  success  of  this  detachment. 

The  prisoners  being  despatched  to  headquarters, 
lieutenant  colonel  Lee  pursued  his  route  to  the  enemy's 
front,  which  passed  over  a  difficult  defile  in  a  line  with 
the  British  camp.  The  infantry,  preceding  the  cavalry, 
was  directed  to  pass  the  defile  and  to  occupy  the 
heights  on  the  left  to  cover  the  horse,  whose  passage 
was  tedious,  they  being  compelled  to  move  in  single 
file.  The  course  taken  by  Lee  was  too  near  the  enemy, 
and  his  cavalry  must  have  suffered  considerably  had 
Rawdon  been  apprized  of  his  movement  and  of  the 
difficulty  of  the  defile  in  his  route.  When  the  troops 
in  the  centre  had  entered  the  defile  we  were  alarmed 
by  beating  to  arms  in  the  camp  of  the  infantry,  which 
was  soon  followed  by  their  forming  in  line  of  battle. 

This  unexpected  event  was  felt  by  all,  but  most 
by  the  amiable  surgeon-*  of  the  infantry,  who  was  at 

*  Alexander  Skinner  was  a  native  of  Maryland.  He  was  virtu- 
ous and  sensible;  full  of  original  humor  of  a  peculiar  cast;  and 
eccentric  in  mind  and  manners.  In  person  and  in  love  of  good 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    137 

that  moment  leading  his  horse  through  the  defile. 
Not  doubting  but  that  battle  must  instantly  take 
place,  and  believing  the  wiser  course  was  to  avoid, 
not  to  meet  it,  the  surgeon  turned  his  horse  with  a 
view  of  getting  (as  he  believed)  out  of  danger;  never 
reflecting  in  his  panic  that  the  passage  did  not  admit 
the  turning  of  a  horse.  Ductile  to  the  force  of  the 
bridle,  the  horse  attempted  to  turn  about,  but  was 
brought  upon  his  head  athwart  the  narrow  passage, 
from  which  position  he  could  not  possibly  extricate 
himself.  The  troop,  which  had  passed  the  defile,  in- 
stantly galloped  up  the  hill  and  arrayed  with  the 
infantry,  while  the  remaining  two  troops  were  arrest- 
ed by  the  panic  of  an  individual. 

cheer,  as  well  as  in  dire  objection  to  the  field  of  battle,  he  re- 
sembled with  wonderful  similitude  Shakspeare's  Falstaflf.  Yet 
Skinner  had  no  hesitation  in  fighting  duels,  and  had  killed  his 
man.  Therefore  when  urged  by  his  friends  why  he,  who  would, 
when  called  upon  by  feelings  of  honor  to  risk  his  life  in  a  single 
combat,  advance  to  the  arena  with  alacrity,  should  abhor  so 
dreadfully  the  field  of  battle, — he  uniformly  in  substance  answer- 
ed, that  he  considered  it  very  arrogant  in  a  surgeon  (whose 
province  it  was  to  take  care  of  the  sick  and  wounded)  to  be 
aping  the  demeanor  and  duty  of  a  commissioned  officer,  whose 
business  was  to  fight:  an  arrogance  which  he  cordially  contemned, 
and  which  he  should  never  commit.  Moreover,  he  would  add, 
that  he  was  not  more  indisposed  to  die  than  other  gentlemen; 
but  that  he  had  an  utter  aversion  to  the  noise  and  turmoil  of 
battle.  It  stunned  and  stupified  him.  However,  when  congress 
should  think  proper  to  honor  him  with  a  commission,  he  would 
convince  all  doubters  that  he  was  not  afraid  to  push  the  bayonet. 
Vol.  II.  S 


138  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Eggleston,  who  commanded  the  troop  so  unhappily 
situated,  dismounting  several  of  his  strongest  dragoons, 
pulled  the  horse  back  again  lengthways  of  the  defile. 
He  had  then  space  to  use  his  limbs  and  soon  stood  upon 
his  feet,  and  our  deranged  and  distressed  cavalry  were 
enabled  to  pass  the  defile.  This  accident  interrupted 
the  progress  of  the  horse  for  ten  minutes, — ample  time 
for  their  destruction,  had  the  enemy  been  at  hand.  It 
turned  out  that  captain  Handy,  the  officer  of  the  day, 
deviating  a  little  from  his  course  in  visiting  the  senti- 
nels, was  seized  by  a  small  patrole  of  the  enemy  and 
carried  off  out  of  musket  fire;  there  he  was  stripped 
of  his  watch  and  money,  and  left  upon  condition  of 
not  stirring  until  his  captors  should  reach  a  designated 
point  in  view,  when  he  was  permitted  to  return  to  his 
corps.   It  was  his  return  which  produced  that  sudden 
change  upon  the  hill,  which  as  suddenly  alarmed  our 
surgeon,  and  led  to  the  described  occurrence  in  the 
defile.  The  remainder  of  the  cavalry  hurried,  as  they 
passed,  to  join  their  friends;  and  lieutenant  colonel 
Lee  with  the  last  troop  at  length  got  over.  Finding  no 
enemy,  as,  from  what  had  passed,  was  strongly  ap- 
prehended, the  agitating  scene  concluded  with  con- 
tinuance of  the  march,  after  some  humorous  animad- 
versions on  the  surprised  captain  and  the  American 
Falstaff.  Moving  in  silence,  and  with  much  caution, 
at  length  the  legion  reached  undisturbed  the  enemy's 
front.   Here  it  turned  up  the  road  towards  the  British 
camp,  and  Rudolph  with  the  infantry  drove  in  the 


• 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    139 

piquets  at  the  bridge  over  the  water  course  which  had 
just  been  passed. 

Having  destroyed  the  bridge,  and  posting  guards 
along  the  water  course  to  the  river,  Lee  encamped 
one  mile  in  the  enemy's  front,  expecting  hourly  to 
hear  of  the  advance  of  the  corps  under  Sumpter  and 
Marion. 

Lord  Rawdon  was  not  inattentive  to  the  changing 
condition  of  affairs.  The  daring  measure  executed  in 
his  view  was  truly  interpreted.  Not  joined  by  Stuart, 
and  unacquainted  with  the  cause  of  his  delay,  he  de- 
termined not  to  risk  the  approach  of  Greene.  He 
accordingly  put  his  army  in  motion,  and  despatched 
his  light  troops  to  the  river  shore,  where  the  creek  in 
his  front  emptied  into  the  river,  and  where  the  meet- 
ing of  the  waters  formed  a  bar.  As  soon  as  the  light 
troops  made  good  their  passage,  the  American  guards 
were  driven  in  and  the  bridge  replaced,  over  which 
the  main  body  and  baggage  of  the  enemy  proceeded, 
forcing  Lee  before  them. 

The  whole  evening  was  spent  in  rapid  movement; 
the  corps  of  Lee  falling  back  upon  Beaver  creek,  in 
the  confident  expectation  of  being  immediately  joined 
by  Sumpter,  Marion,  and  Washington,  when  a  serious 
combined  effort  would  have  been  made  to  stop  the 
progress  of  the  enemy.  In  this  expectation,  founded 
on  Greene's  despatch,  Lee  was  disappointed:  neither 
Sumpter,  Marion,  nor  Washington  appeared,  nor  was 
any  communication  received  from  either.  Lieutenant 
colonel  Lee,  not  doubting  that  the  wished  for  junction 


140  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

would  be  effected  the  next  morning,  determined,  if 
practicable,  to  establish  his  night  quarters  near  Beaver 
creek,  on  the  south  side  of  which  the  road  by  the 
Eutaws  and  Motie's  post  from  Charleston  intersected 
that  from  Charleston  by  the  way  of  Orangeburgh. 
This  spot,  too,  gave  advantages  favorable  to  that 
effort  which  it  was  presumed  would  follow  the  union 
of  the  three  corps. 

Rawdon,  still  uninformed  as  to  Stuart,  and  feeling 
his  own  inferiority,  persevered  in  his  determination  to 
avoid  any  exposure;  not  doubting  that  the  American 
general  was  pressing  forward  to  bring  him  to  action 
before  he  could  be  reinforced.  He  continued  to  ad- 
vance until  nine  p.  m.,  when  he  halted  for  the  night: 
Lee,  moving  a  few  miles  in  his  front,  took  up  also 
his  night  position.  With  the  dawn  of  day  the  British 
van  appeared,  and  the  corps  of  Lee  retired.  Repeating 
their  rapid  movement  this  day,  this  day  passed  along 
as  had  the  preceding,  till  at  length  the  American  corps 
reached  Beaver  creek  and  took  post  behind  it. 

Not  yet  had  any  intelligence  been  received  of  or 
from  the  militia  corps;  and  here  was  the  last  point 
where  the  junction  was  practicable,  as  Sumpter  and 
Marion  were  in  the  eastern  country,  to  Lee's  left,  and 
would  advance  on  the  road  from  Motte's  post,  which 
here  fell  into  that  going  to  Orangeburgh.  Lord  Raw- 
don upon  reaching  the  creek  hastened  over;  and 
lieutenant  colonel  Lee,  finding  his  expectations  illu- 
sive, turned  to  his  left,  proceeding  down  the  Congaree; 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    141 

yielding  up  any  further  struggle  to  hold  the  enemy's 
front. 

The  British  general  advanced  along  the  Orangeburgh 
road,  and  halted  at  the  small  village  of  Orangeburgh, 
where  he  was  joined  on  the  next  day  by  lieutenant 
colonel  Stuart  with  the  regiment  of  Buffs  and  convoy. 
Informed  of  the  march  of  Stuart  from  Charleston  with 
the  convoy,  Greene  ordered  Marion  and  Washington 
to  make  an  attempt  upon  this  officer,  encumbered  as 
he  was;  not  doubting  that  this  service  could  be  per- 
formed in  time  to  unite  with  Lee.  Stuart's  march  was 
very  slow,  which,  consuming  more  time  than  was  ex- 
pected, prevented  Marion  and  Washington  from  reach- 
ing Lee  before  his  passage  of  Beaver  creek.  Marion 
did  not  succeed  against  Stuart.  Colonel  Horree,  one 
of  his  officers,  cut  off  a  few  wagons;  the  only  advantage 
gained  by  the  American  corps.  On  the  succeeding 
day  Sumpter,  Marion  and  Washington  joined  Lee, 
when  the  united  corps  advanced  under  Sumpter  a 
few  miles  towards  Orangeburgh  convenient  to  the 
route  of  the  American  army.  General  Greene,  on  the 
subsequent  day,  passed  Beaver  creek,-  and,  encamping 
contiguous  to  the  van  troops,  put  himself  at  the  head 
of  his  cavalry,  commanded  by  Washington  and  Lee, 
accompanied  by  his  principal  officers,  for  the  purpose 
of  examining  the  enemy's  position,  with  a  view  of 
forcing  it  if  possible.  The  reconnoitre  was  made  with 
great  attention,  and  close  to  the  enemy:  for  being 
destitute  of  cavalry,  lord  Rawdon  had  no  means  to 
interrupt  it.   After  spending  several  hours  in  examin- 


142  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

ing  the  British  position,  general  Greene  decided 
against  hazarding  an  assault.  The  force  of  the  enemy 
was  about  sixteen  hundred,  infantry  and  artillery,  with- 
out horse:  Greene's  army,  comprehending  every  sort, 
was  rated  at  two  thousand,  of  which  near  a  moiety 
was  militia.  Cruger  had  not  joined,  being  engaged  in 
his  march,  and  in  depositing  his  loyalists  in  their  new 
homes;  but  he  was  daily  expected,  and  would  add  at 
least  fourteen  hundred  infantry  and  some  few  dragoons 
to  the  British  force.  If,  therefore,  any  attempt  was  to 
be  made  against  Rawdon,  delay  became  inadmissible. 
Some  of  the  officers  attending  upon  Greene,  and  in 
whose  opinions  he  properly  confided,  did  not  consider 
the  obstacles  to  assault  so  serious;  and  believed  that  it 
was  necessary  to  strike  the  enemy,  in  order  to  induce 
him  to  relinquish  his  design  of  establishing  a  post  at 
Orangeburgh  with  the  view  of  holding  all  the  country 
south  of  the  Edisto  and  west  of  the  Santee. 

But  the  majority  concurred  with  the  general,  and 
the  contemplated  attack  was  abandoned.*  Two  pow- 

'  *  Extract  of  a  letter,  dated  16th  July,  1781,  camp  High  Hills, 
Santee,  from  adjutant  general  Williams  to  major  Pendleton,  aid- 
de-camp  to  general  Greene. 
"  Dear  Pendleton, 
"  After  you  left  us  at  Ninety-Six  we  were  obliged  to  retro- 
grade as  far  as  the  cross-roads  above  Winnsborough.  Lord  Raw- 
don's  return  over  Saluda  induced  the  general  to  halt  the  army, 
and  wait  for  intelligence  respecting  his  further  manoeuvres; 
and  hearing  a  few  days  after  that  his  lordship  was  on  his  march 
to  fort  Granby,  our  army  was  ordered  to  march  towards  that 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    143 

erful  reasons  led  to  this  decision.  One  that  the  British 
general  was  not  only  in  a  strong  position,  but  that  he 

place  by  way  of  Winnsborough.  Before  we  could  arrive  at  Con- 
garee,  lord  Rawdon  retired  to  Orangeburgh;  and  as  he  had  left 
a  considerable  part  of  his  army  at  Ninety-Six,  general  Greene 
detached  the  cavalry  and  light  infantry  to  join  general  Marion, 
and  endeavor  to  intercept  colonel  Stuart,  who  was  on  his  march 
from  Charleston  with  the  third  regiment,  See.  consisting  of  about 
three  hundred,  convoying  bread,  stores,  &c,  of  which  lord  Raw- 
don's  troops  were  in  great  want.  Stuart  however  joined  his  lord- 
ship at  Orangeburgh;  and  general  Greene,  from  the  information 
he  had  received,  was  encouraged  to  expect  success  from  an 
attack  upon  the  British  army  at  that  post.  Accordingly  he  col- 
lected his  troops,  and  called  together  the  militia  and  state  troops 
under  generals  Sumpter  and  Marion  (general  Pickens  being  left 
to  watch  the  motions  of  colonel  Cruger).  A  junction  of  the  whole 
formed  a  very  respectable  little  army,  which  marched  to  a  small 
branch  of  North  Edisto,  within  four  miles  of  Orangeburgh,  where 
we  halted,  and  lay  the  12th  instant  from  about  nine  o'clock  in 
the  morning  till  six  in  the  afternoon. 

"  General  Greene  reconnoitred  the  position  of  the  enemy,  and 
found  it  materially  different  from  what  it  had  been  represented. 
The  ground  is  broken,  and  naturally  strong,  from  the  court-house 
(which  is  two  stories  high  and  built  of  brick),  to  a  bridge  four  or 
five  hundred  yards  distant,  the  only  pass  over  the  Edisto  within 
many  miles.  The  general  had  every  reason  to  believe  what  he 
had  soon  afterwards  confirmed,  that  colonel  Cruger  had  evacua- 
ted Ninety-Six,  and  was  on  his  march  to  join  lord  Rawdon, 
which  might  possibly  be  done  before  we  could  force  his  lordship 
(if  he  could  be  forced  at  all)  to  a  general  action, — the  issue  of 
which  was  not  certain.  These  considerations  induced  the  gene- 
ral rather  to  offer  than  to  give  battle.  The  enemy  declined  the 
opportunity,  and  put  up  with  the  insult.  General  Greene,  there- 
fore, ordered  our  troops  to  retire   in  the  afternoon  to  colonel 


144  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

had  secured  his  retreat  across  the  Edisto,  by  occupy- 
ing with  musketry  a  large  brick  prison  and  several 
other  houses  commanding  the  river,  to  the  southern 
banks  of  which  he  could  readily  retire  uninjured,  should 
he  think  proper  to  avoid  battle  until  lieutenant  colonel 
Cruger  should  join.  Thus  only  could  partial  success 
be  attained,  if  any,  and  that  no  doubt  with  severe 
loss.  The  second,  that  the  cavalry,  from  the  nature  of 
the  ground  and  the  disposition  of  the  enemy,  could 
not  be  brought  to  take  its  part  in  the  action;  and  as 
ours  formed  an  essential  portion  of  the  American 
army,  it  was  deemed  unwise  to  seek  for  battle  when 
deprived  of  this  aid.  It  was  very  desirable  to  compel 
the  enemy  to  relinquish  his  design  of  holding  the 
country  south  of  the  Edisto  by  establishing  a  post 
at  Orangeburgh;  but  other  means  might  be  resorted 
to  productive  of  this  end.  One  very  obvious  was 
adopted  by  the  American  general  when  about  to 
decamp,  and  which  did  completely  effect  his  views. 
We  had  often  experienced  in  the  course  of  the 

Middleton's  plantation,  from  whence  we  have  proceeded  by 
slow  easy  marches  to  this  place,  and  not  without  leaving  be- 
hind sufficient  detachments  to  intercept  their  convoys  from 
below,  and  to  create  such  a  diversion  at  Monk's  Corner,  Dor- 
chester, Sec.  as  will  very  probably  oblige  his  lordship  to  march 
to  their  relief.  Indeed  I  am  encouraged  to  hope  that  the  garri- 
son at  Charleston  will  not  be  undibturbed.  Mischief  is  meditated 
against  them  in  other  quarters;  and  1  sanguinely  trust  the  issue 
of  this  campaign  will  permanently  fix  the  exalted  idea  the  world 
has  justly  conceived  of  the  eminent  abilities  of  our  general, 
and  secure  durable  advantages  to  the  country." 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    145 

campaign  want  of  food,*  and  had  sometimes  seriously 
suffered  from  the  scantiness  of  our  supplies,  rendered 
more  pinching  by  their  quality;  but  never  did  we  suffer 
so  severely  as  during  the  few  days'  halt  here.  Rice  fur- 
nished our  substitute  for  bread,  which,  although  tolera- 
bly relished  by  those  familiarized  to  it  from  infancy, 
was  very  disagreeable  to  Marylanders  and  Virginians, 
who  had  grown  up  in  the  use  of  corn  or  wheat  -bread. 
Of  meat  we  had  literally  none;  for  the  few  meagre 
cattle  brought  to  camp  as  beef  would  not  afford  more 
than  one  or  two  ounces  per  man.  Frogs  abounded  in 
some  neighboring  ponds,  and  on  them  chiefly  did  the 
light  troops  subsist.  They  became  in  great  demand 
from  their  nutriciousness;  and,  after  conquering  the 
existing  prejudice,  were  diligently  sought  after.  Even 
the  alligator  was  used  by  a  few;  and,  very  probably, 
had  the  army  been  much  longer  detained  upon  that 
ground,  might  have  rivalled  the  frog  in  the  estimation 
of  our  epicures. 

The  heat  of  the  season  had  become  oppressive,  and 
the  troops  began  to  experience  its  effect  in  sickness. 
General  Greene  determined  to  repair  to  some  salubri- 
ous and  convenient  spot  to  pass  the  sultry  season;  and 

*  Tacitus  (de  Moribus  Germanorum)  observes  that  they  had  a 
plentiful  table  instead  of  pay, — "  Nam  epulae,  et  quanquam  in- 
compti  largi  tamen  apparatus  pro  stipendio  redunt."  This  cannot 
be  said  of  us  in  toto.  Like  the  Germans  we  had  no  pay;  and  in- 
stead of  plentiful  tables,  in  lieu,  our  table  was  not  often  plentiful, 
and  seldom  agreeable. 

Vol.  it  T 


vt-146  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

having  selected  the  High  Hills  of  Santee,  a  place  so 
called  from  the  eminence  of  its  ground,  it  became 
very  opportune,  while  directing  his  march  with  the 
main  body  to  his  camp  of  repose,  to  detach  his  light 
troops  against  the  British  posts  in  the  vicinity  of 
Charleston,  now  uncovered  by  the  concentration  of 
all  the  enemy's  disposable  force  in  Orangeburgh. 
Whec,  therefore,  he  decamped  on  the  13th  of  July, 
he  ordered  Sumpter,  Marion  and  Lee  to  move  rapidly 
towards  Charleston;  and,  after  breaking  up  the  posts 
at  and  about  Dorchester,  to  unite  at  Monk's  Corner, 
for  the  purpose  of  dislodging  the  nineteenth  regiment 
stationed  there  under  lieutenant  colonel  Coates.  This 
service  performed,  their  several  corps  would  rendez- 
vous at  the  High  Hills  of  Santee,  to  which  position  the 
general  now  commenced  his  march. 

The  corps  took  distinct  routes,  concealing  their 
march,  and  prepared  to  fall  at  the  same  moment,  in 
different  directions,  upon  the  country  lying  between 
the  Ashley  and  Cooper  rivers.  The  small  post  at 
Dorchester  was  broken  up,  and  some  trivial  successes 
gained  by  the  several  corps, — among  which  the  most 
important  was  achieved  by  lieutenant  colonel  Hamp- 
ton, commanding  Sumpter's  cavalry,  who  falling  in 
with  some  mounted  refugees,  dispersed  the  whole 
body,  and  made  forty  or  fifty  prisoners.  A  party  of 
the  legion  horse  was  pushed  below  the  quarter  house 
in  the  neck,  from  the  confidence  that  in  a  place  so 
near  Charleston  an  advantageous  stroke  might  be 
made.  But  it  so  happened  that  on  that  day  none  of 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    147 

the  usual  visits  to  the  quarter  house  took  place,  nor 
was  even  a  solitary  officer  picked  up  in  their  customary 
morning  rides. 

Sumpter  hastened  towards  Monk's  Corner,  where 
lay  the  nineteenth  regiment, — an  adequate  prize  for 
our  previously  disappointed  exertions.  Marion  joined 
him  on  the  same  day,  and  Lee,  having  called  in  his 
parties  from  the  neck,  followed  on  the  subsequent 
morning.  This  officer  expected  that  general  Sumpter 
would  have  seized  the  bridge  over  the  Cooper  river 
near  Monk's  Corner,  which  afforded  a  direct  route  to 
the  militia  camp.  But  lieutenant  colonel  Coates  had 
very  prudently  occupied  it  with  a  detachment  from 
his  regiment,  which  compelled  Lee  to  take  a  very 
circuitous  route  through  deep  sands,  in  the  heat  of 
July,  to  reach  Sumpter,  then  ready  to  fall  upon  Coates 
as  soon  as  he  should  be  joined  by  Lee.  Late  in  the 
evening  the  desired  junction  took  place,  and  the  next 
morning  Monk's  Corner  was  to  have  been  assaulted. 
Coates  had  three  routes  of  retreat,  either  of  which  led 
directly  to  Charleston.  Two  lay  on  the  east  of  Cooper 
river  and  one  to  the  west.  The  western  offered  the 
readiest  route;  for  by  passing  the  bridge  in  his  pos- 
session, he  would  place  Cooper's  river  on  his  left  and 
become  relieved  from  water  obstruction  in  his  whole 
progress.  It  was,  however,  deemed  safer  to  take  the 
two  routes  on  the  east  of  the  river;  one  of  which  led 
over  the  Cooper,  some  miles  below  Monk's  Corner, 
intersecting  the  western  route  in  Charleston  neck,  and 
the  other  continued  on  the  east  of  the  river,  crossing 


148  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

the  same  river  opposite  to  the  town.  The  head  waters 
of  Cooper  river  make  several  branches  about  Monk's 
Corner, all  having  bridges  over  them.  Brigadier  Sump- 
ter  took  the  precaution  to  hold  by  a  detachment  from 
his  corps  the  bridge  over  that  water  course  in  the  way 
of  lieutenant  colonel  Coates,  should  he  take  the  eastern 
route,  and  calculated  that  the  resistance  at  that  bridge 
would  give  him  time  to  come  up  with  the  enemy. 
During  the  night  Coates  decamped  in  silence,  setting 
fire  to  the  church  which  had  been  used  as  a  magazine, 
for  the  purpose  of  destroying  stores  which  could  not 
be  withdrawn,  and  which  he  did  not  choose  to  leave 
for  the  accommodation  of  his  enemy.  The  fire  in  the 
course  of  some  hours  penetrated  through  the  roof, 
and,  making  then  a  wide  illumination,  was  descried 
from  our  camp. 

No  doubt  existed  but  that  the  British  regiment  had 
fired  the  house,  and  of  course  that  it  had  considerably 
advanced  in  its  retreat,  notwithstanding  the  presumed 
possession  of  a  bridge  over  which  it  must  pass.  The 
troops  were  called  to  arms,  and  with  great  celerity 
moved  upon  Monk's  Corner;  where  it  was  discovered 
that  the  enemy,  for  the  purpose  of  consuming  his 
stores,  had  burnt  the  church,  and  that  he  had  retreat- 
ed on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Cooper.  In  this  direction 
Sumpter  pursued,  preceded  by  the  legion,  which  was 
supported  by  the  state  cavalry  under  lieutenant  colonel 
Hampton.  To  our  surprise  and  mortification,  no  op- 
position at  the  bridge  had  taken  place;  and  indeed  our 
inquiries  terminated  in  the  conviction  that  the  detach- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    149 

ment  destined  to  occupy  that  post  had  abandoned  it  a 
few  hours  after  they  had  been  sent  to  possess  it.  Hence 
arose  our  ignorance  of  Coates's  movement,  which  could 
not  have  occurred  had  the  militia  party  continued  at 
their  post,  and  to  which  ignorance  the  foe  owed  his 
escape.  Continuing  to  press  the  pursuit,  the  cavalry  be- 
came considerably  advanced  before  the  infantry  and  the 
mounted  militia  under  brigadier  Marion.  When  they 
had  reached  the  point  where  the  roads  separate,  the 
British  horse  (not  more  than  a  troop)  had  taken  the 
route  nearest  to  Cooper  river.  Expecting  that  it  might 
be  overtaken  before  it  could  pass,  having  only  the  ferry- 
boats for  its  transportation,  a  detachment  from  the 
militia  was  ordered  to  pursue.  But  the  attempt  proved 
abortive,  the  British  dragoons  having  crossed  the  river 
some  hours  before  our  detachment  reached  it. 

Lee  with  the  cavalry  pursued  the  main  body,  and 
drew  near  to  it  in  the  neighborhood  of  Quinby 
bridge,  about  eighteen  miles  from  Monk's  Corner.  It 
was  much  wished  to  come  up  with  Coates  before  he 
crossed  that  bridge,  as  it  was  well  known  that  the 
stream,  without  a  circuit,  was  only  passable  at  the 
bridge,  which  it  was  certain  the  enemy  would  secure 
or  destroy.  As  soon  as  the  officer  in  advance  announced 
view  of  the  enemy,  Lee  inquired  of  his  guides  the 
distance  from  the  bridge,  and  heard  with  great  pleasure 
that  it  was  at  least  three  miles  in  front.  The  legion 
cavalry  was  now  directed  to  take  close  order;  and 
captain  Eggleston  with  one  troop  was  detached  in  the 
woods  to  the  left  to  turn  the  enemy's  right,  while  the 


150  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

squadron  under  Lee,  supported  by  the  cavalry  under 
lieutenant  colonel  Hampton,  advanced  along  the  road 
directly  towards  him.  These  in  our  view  appeared  to 
be  Coates's  rear  guard,  charged  with  his  baggage 
wagons,  and  not  to  exceed  one  hundred  men,  and  to 
be  all  infantry.  Upon  the  approach  of  the  horse  in 
two  directions,  the  commanding  officer  formed  in  line; 
his  left  on  the  road,  and  his  right  in  the  woods  oppo- 
site to  Eggleston.  This  disposition  was  the  very  one 
desired;  as  a  deep  swamp  lined  the  margin  of  the 
road,  in  which  Lee  apprehended  the  enemy  would 
take  post  to  cover  the  road  and  wagons.  To  obviate 
this  apprehended  measure  formed  the  principal  reason 
for  throwing  Eggleston  to  the  left.  The  instant  the 
enemy  had  formed,  the  charge  was  sounded,  and  the 
horse  rushed  upon  them  with  drawn  swords  in  full 
gallop.  On  our  approach  the  enemy's  order  to  fire 
was  distinctly  heard  from  right  to  left,  which  not 
taking  place  caused  some  inquietude,  lest  it  was 
intentionally  reserved  to  render  it  more  fatal. 

Contrary  to  expectation  this  was  not  the  case.  The 
suppression  of  their  meditated  fire  was  not  a  feint;  but 
the  line,*  terrified  at  the  novel  and  menacing  attitude 

*  The  nineteenth  regiment,  of  which  this  detachment  was  a 
part,  was  one  of  the  three  lately  arrived  from  Ireland,  and  had 
not  seen  service.  It  is  probable  such  submission  would  not  have 
ensued  had  the  troops  been  veteran.  Generally  speaking,  infantry, 
unless  surpassing  greatly  in  number,  or  aided  by  the  ground, 
vviH  fall  when  vigorously  charged  by  horse.  If  they  discharge  in 
</o,  they  are  gone.  Holding  up  the  front  file  fire  with  charged 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    151 

of  the  horse  close  upon  it,  hoped  to  secure  their  safety 
by  this  inoffensive  conduct;  and,  without  discharging 
a  single  musket,  threw  down  their  arms  and  begged 
for  quarters.  Their  supplication  was  cheerfully  grant- 
ed, and  like  ourselves  they  escaped  unhurt.  Not  doubt- 
ing but  that  Quinby  bridge  was  yet  at  least  one  mile 
in  front,  the  cavalry  were  brought  to  order,  and,  leav- 
ing the  captured  rear  in  care  of  a  few  of  the  militia 
horse,  hastened  to  strike  the  last  blow. 

They  had  not  proceeded  far  when  a  courier  was 
despatched  to  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  with  information 
that  captain  Campbell  had  ordered  his  men  to  resume 
their  arms,  and  this  recalled  Lee  for  a  kw  minutes. 

At  this  instant  Armstrong  with  the  leading  section 
came  in  sight  of  Coates,  who, having  passed  the  bridge, 
was  carelessly  reposing,  expecting  his  rear  guard, — 
having  determined  to  destroy  the  bridge  as  soon  as  his 
rear  and  baggage  should  have  passed  it.  With  this 
view  the  planks  were  mostly  raised  from  the  sleepers, 
lying  on  them  loosely,  ready  to  be  thrown  into  the 
stream  when  the  rear  should  get  over.  Seeing  the 
enemy,  with  the  bridge  interposed,  which  he  knew  to 
be  contrary  to  his  commandant's  expectation,  this  gal- 
lant officer  drew  up,  and  sent  back  for  orders — never 
communicating  the  unexpected  fact  that  the  bridge 
intervened.  Lee,  sending  his  adjutant  to  the  captain, 
warmly  reminded  him  of  the  order  of  the  day,  which 

bayonets,  and  pouring  in  the  rear  fire,  best  aids  their  chance  ar 
success. 


152  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

was  to  fall  upon  the  foe  without  respect  to  conse- 
quences. Stung  with  this  answer,  the  brave  Arm- 
strong put  spur  to  his  horse  at  the  head  of  his  section 
and  threw  himself  over  the  bridge  upon  the  guard 
stationed  there  with  a  howitzer.  So  sudden  was  this 
charge  that  he  drove  all  before  him, — the  soldiers 
abandoning  their  piece.  Some  of  the  loose  planks 
were  dashed  off  by  Armstrong's  section,  which,  form- 
ing a  chasm  in  the  bridge,  presented  a  dangerous  ob- 
stacle. Nevertheless  the  second  section,  headed  by 
lieutenant  Carrington,  took  the  leap  and  closed  with 
Armstrong,  then  engaged  in  a  personal  combat  with 
lieutenant  colonel  Coates,  who,  placing  himself  on  the 
side  of  a  wagon  which  with  a  few  others  had  kept  up 
with  the  main  body,  effectually  parried  the  many  sabre 
strokes  aimed  at  his  head.  Most  of  his  soldiers,  ap- 
palled at  the  sudden  and  daring  attack,  had  abandoned 
their  colonel  and  were  running  through  the  field,  some 
with,  some  without  arms,  to  take  shelter  in  the  farm 
house. 

Lee  now  got  up  to  the  bridge,  where  captain  O'Neal 
with  the  third  section  had  halted;  and  seeing  the  howit- 
zer in  our  possession,  and  the  whole  regiment,  except 
lieutenant  colonel  Coates,  flying  in  confusion,  (while 
the  lieutenant  colonel  with  a  few,  mostly  officers, 
were  defending  themselves  with  their  swords  and 
calling  upon  their  soldiers  for  assistance,)  he  used 
every  effort  to  recover  and  replace  the  planks.  The 
gap  having  been  enlarged  by  Carrington's  section 
rhrowing  off  more  planks,  O'Neal's  horses  would  not 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    153 

take  the  leap;  and  the  creek  was  deep  in  water  and 
deeper  in  mud,  so  that  the  dragoons,  who  had  dis- 
mounted for  the  purpose  of  getting  the  plank,  could 
not,  even  though  clinging  to  the  studs  of  the  bridge, 
stop  from  sinking — there  being  no  foothold  to  stand 
upon;  nor  was  it  possible  to  find  any  firm  spot  from 
whence  to  swim  the  horses  across.  In  this  perplexing 
condition  the  victory  gained  by  the  gallantry  of  one 
troop  of  dragoons  was  wrested  from  them,  when  to 
complete  it  only  a  passage  across  the  creek,  not 
twenty  yards  wide,  was  wanting.  Discerning  the  halt 
of  the  horse,  the  enemy  took  courage,  and  the  bravest 
of  the  soldiers  hastening  back  to  their  leader  soon  re- 
lieved him.  Armstrong  and  Carrington,  compelled  to 
abandon  the  unequal  contest,  forced  their  way  down 
the  great  road,  turning  into  the  woods  up  the  stream 
to  rejoin  the  corps.  Lee  continued  struggling  to  re- 
place the  planks,  until  Coates  (relieved  from  Arm- 
strong) repaired  with  the  few  around  him  to  defend 
the  bridge,  where  remained  his  deserted  howitzer. 
Having  only  sabres  to  oppose  to  the  enemy's  fire, 
and  those  sabres  withheld  from  contact  by  the  inter- 
posing chasm,  Lee  was  forced  to  draw  off  from  the 
vain  contest,  after  several  of  his  dragoons  had  been 
wounded,  among  whom  was  doctor  Irvin,  surgeon  of 
the  legion  cavalry.* 

*  Such  was  doctor  Skinner's  unvarying  objection  to  Irvin's 
custom  of  risking  his  life,  whenever  he  was  with  the  corps  going 
into  action,  that,  kind  and  amiable  as  he  was,  he  saw  with  plea- 
sure that  his  prediction,  often  communicated  to  Irvin  to  stop 

Vol.  IT.  U 


154  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

As  soon  as  he  had  reached  the  enemy,  Lee  des- 
patched the  intelligence  to  brigadier  Marion,  and  to 
the  legion  infantry,  urging  their  approach;  and  now 
foiled  at  the  bridge,  he  communicated  to  Marion  his 
having  moved  some  distance  up  the  creek  to  a  ford, 
which,  from  the  information  derived  from  his  guides, 
would  afford  a  ready  passage.  To  this  place  he  urged 
the  brigadier  to  direct  his  march,  assuring  him  that 
by  their  united  effort  the  enemy  might  still  be  des- 
troyed. 

Marion  pressed  his  march  with  diligence,  bringing 
with  him  the  legion  infantry;  and  having  passed  the 
creek,  united  with  Lee  late  in  the  evening,  in  front  of 
the  house,  which,  in  their  panic,  had  been  so  eagerly 
sought  by  the  flying  British  soldiers,  and  which  was 
now  possessed  by  lieutenant  colonel  Coates,  who  had 
repaired  to  it  with  his  wagons  and  howitzer;  afford- 
ing, as  it  did,  the  most  eligible  position  he  could 
assume.  Posted  in  the  house,  the  outhouses,  and  along 
the  yard  and  garden  fences,  with  his  howitzer  in  front 
and  under  cover  of  the  house,  lieutenant  colonel  Coates 
found  himself  safe.  Marion  and  Lee,  seeing  that  no 
point  of  his  position  was  assailable  with  probable  hope 

his  practice,  (which,  contrasted  with  his  own,  Skinner  felt  as  a 
bitter  reproach,)  was  at  length  realized,  when  Irvin  was  brought 
in  wounded;  and  he  would  not  dress  his  wound,  although  from 
his  station  he  had  the  right  of  preference,  until  he  had  finished 
all  the  privates, — reprehending  with  asperity  Irvin's  custom, 
and  sarcastically  complimenting  him,  every  now  and  then,  with 
he  honorable  scar  he  might  hereafter  show. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    155 

of  success,  (destitute,  as  they  were,  of  artillery,)  re- 
luctantly gave  up  this  regiment;  and  being  low  down 
in  a  neck,  within  striking  distance  from  Charleston, 
after  all  the  fatigue  of  the  day  they  deemed  it  neces- 
sary to  retire  fifteen  miles  before  they  could  give  rest 
to  their  troops. 

At  this  moment  Armstrong  and  Carrington,  whose 
suspended  fate  had  excited  painful  sensations  in  the 
breasts  of  their  friends,  happily  joined  with  their  shat- 
tered sections.  Both  the  officers  were  unhurt,  only  one 
horse  killed  and  one  wounded,  but  some  few  of  the 
bravest  dragoons  were  killed  and  more  wounded. 

Sending  the  captain  with  a  detachment  to  the 
ground  of  action,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  off 
the  dead  and  wounded,  Lee  followed  Marion;  who 
having  detached  a  party  to  replace  the  planks  of  the 
bridge,  took  the  direct  course  to  it  through  the  field. 
While  we  halted  here  with  the  legion  cavalry  until 
Armstrong  should  rejoin,  one  of  our  wounded  dra- 
goons came  hobbling  out  of  the  swamp,  into  which  he 
had  scrambled  when  his  horse  had  fallen  by  the  same 
ball  which  had  shattered  the  rider's  knee.  Armstrong 
now  came  up,  bringing  with  him  sad  evidences  of  his 
intrepid  charge.  Some  of  his  finest  fellows  had  fallen 
in  this  honorable,  though  unsuccessful  attempt;  sol- 
diers who  had  passed  from  early  life  through  the  war, 
esteemed  and  admired.  Placing  the  wounded  in  the 
easiest  posture  for  conveyance,  and  bearing  the  dead  on 
the  pummels  of  our  saddles,  we  concluded  a  toilsome 
sixteen  hours  in  the  sadness  of  grief;  not  for  the  loss 


156  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

of  brave  soldiers,  nobly  dying  in  their  country's  cause, 
but  because  they  fell  in  an  abortive  attack,  rendered  so 
by  unforseen  incidents.  Had  the  bridge  near  Monk's 
Corner  (over  which  the  British  passed)  been  held  in 
conformity  to  Sumpter's  plan  and  order,  Coates  would 
have  been  overtaken  before  he  arrived  at  Quinby's. 
Had  the  guides  been  correct  in  their  estimation  of  the 
distance  of  the  bridge,  when  we  first  saw  the  enemy's 
rear,  Lee  (having  taken  the  rear  guard)  would  have 
found  out  some  other  route  to  the  main  body,  and 
have  avoided  the  fatal  obstacle.  Had  Armstrong,  refer- 
ring for  further  orders,  communicated  the  interposi- 
tion of  the  bridge,  the  warm  reply  would  never  have 
been  made,  but  a  cool  examination  of  our  relative  situa- 
tion would  have  followed;  the  result  of  which  must 
have  been  propitious.  Coates  and  his  regiment  must 
have  fallen;  giving  increase  of  fame  to  our  army,  with 
solid  good  to  our  cause;  and  the  sad  loss  would  not 
have  occurred.  To  produce  a  discomfiture,  this  series 
of  omission  and  error  was  necessary  and  did  take  place. 
Soldiers  may  and  must  struggle, — but  unless  fortune 
smile  their  struggle  cannot  always  avail. 

As  soon  as  we  reached  our  quarters,  one  common 
grave  was  prepared  for  the  dead,  and  at  the  dawn  of 
light  the  rites  of  sepulture  were  performed. 

The  prisoners  and  baggage  which  had  been  takeq 
were  instantly  sent  off  under  proper  escort,  and  safely 
delivered  to  brigadier  Sumpter.  With  the  baggage  was 
taken  the  regimental  military  chest,  whose  contents 
being  divided  among  the  troops,  by  the  brigadier's 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    157 

order,  gave  to  each  soldier  one  guinea.  We  gained, 
on  the  following  day,  the  neighborhood  of  Nelson's 
ferry,  where  the  troops  were  permitted  to  repose  for 
twenty-four  hours.  Resuming  our  march,  we  crossed 
the  Santee,  and  by  easy  marches  joined  in  a  few  days 
the  army  at  the  High  Hills.  Incomplete  as  was  this 
expedition,  the  zeal  and  vigor  uniformly  exhibited 
reflected  credit  on  all  employed  in  it;  and  the  general, 
always  disposed  to  honor  merit,  testified  his  grateful 
approbation  in  very  flattering  terms.  Armstrong,  Car- 
rington,and  their  gallant  band,  were,  as  they  deserved, 
distinguished.  The  troops  were  placed  in  good  quar- 
ters, and  the  heat  of  July  rendered  tolerable  by  the 
high  ground,  the  fine  air  and  good  water  of  the  se- 
lected camp.  Disease  began  to  abate,  our  wounded  to 
recover,  and  the  army  to  rise  in  bodily  strength.  En- 
joying this  period  of  rest,  the  first  experienced  since 
Greene's  assumption  of  the  command,  it  was  natural 
to  meditate  upon  the  past  scenes.  Nor  was  the  con- 
clusion of  such  meditations  less  instructive  than  agree- 
able. The  wisdom  of  the  general  was  manifest;  and 
the  zeal,  patience  and  firmness  exhibited  by  the  troops 
could  not  be  denied.  It  is  true,  that  untoward  occur- 
rences had  deprived  us  of  two  victories,  and  lost  us 
Ninety- Six;  but  it  was  no  less  true,  that  the  compre- 
hensive views  of  the  general,  with  his  inflexible  per- 
severance, and  unvarying  activity,  had  repaired  these 
mortifying  disappointments,  and  had  closed  the  cam- 
paign with  the  successful  execution  of  his  object. 
Defeat  had  been  changed  by  its  consequences  intQ 


158  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

victory,  and  our  repulse  had  been  followed  by  acces- 
sion of  territory.  The  conquered  states  were  regained, 
and  our  exiled  countrymen  were  restored  to  their  de- 
serted homes, — sweet  rewards  of  toil  and  peril.  Such 
results  can  only  be  attributed  to  superior  talents,  se- 
conded by  skill,  courage  and  fidelity.  Fortune  often 
gives  victory;  but  when  the  weak  oppose  the  strong, 
destitute  of  the  essential  means  of  war,  it  is  not  chance 
but  sublime  genius  which  guides  the  intermediate 
operations,  and  controls  the  ultimate  event. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    159 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

LATELY  John  Champe,  sergeant-major  of  the 
legion  cavalry,  who  had  been  for  several  months  con- 
sidered by  the  corps  as  a  deserter,  returned.  This 
high  minded  soldier  had  been  selected  to  undertake  a 
very  difficult  and  perilous  project,  the  narration  of 
which  is  due  to  his  merit,  as  well  as  to  the  singularity 
of  his  progress. 

The  treason  of  brigadier  Arnold, — the  capture  of 
Andre, — with  intelligence  received  by  Washington, 
through  his  confidential  agents  in  New  York,  com- 
municating that  many  of  his  officers,  and  especially  a 
major  general  named  to  him,  were  connected  with 
Arnold, — could  not  fail  to  seize  the  attention  of  a 
commander  less  diligent  and  zealous.  It  engrossed  his 
mind  entirely,  exciting  sensations  the  most  anxious  as 
well  as  unpleasant.  The  moment  he  reached  the  army, 
then  under  the  orders  of  major  general  Greene,  en- 
camped in  the  vicinity  of  Tappan,  he  sent  for  major 
Lee,  posted  with  the  light  troops  some  distance  in 
front.  This  officer  repaired  to  headquarters  with  cele- 
rity, and  found  the  general  in  his  marque  alone,  busily 
engaged  in  writing.  As  soon  as  Lee  entered,  he  was 
requested  to  take  a  seat,  and  a  bundle  of  papers,  lying 
on  the  table,  was  given  to  him  for  perusal.  In  these 


160  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

much  information  was  detailed,  tending  to  prove  that 
Arnold  was  not  alone  in  the  base  conspiracy  just  de- 
tected, but  that  the  poison  had  spread;  and  that  a  major 
general,  whose  name  was  not  concealed,  was  certainly 
as  guilty  as  Arnold  himself.  This  officer  had  enjoyed, 
without  interruption,  the  confidence  of  the  comman- 
der in  chief  throughout  the  war;  nor  did  there  exist  a 
single  reason  in  support  of  the  accusation.  It  altoge- 
ther rested  upon  the  intelligence  derived  from  the 
papers  before  him.  Major  Lee,  personally  acquainted 
with  the  accused,  could  not  refrain  from  suggesting 
the  probability,  that  the  whole  was  a  contrivance  of  sir 
Henry  Clinton,  in  order  to  destroy  that  confidence 
between  the  commander  and  his  officers  on  which  the 
success  of  military  operations  depends.  This  sugges- 
tion, Washington  replied,  was  plausible,  and  deserved 
due  consideration.  It  had  early  occurred  to  his  own 
mind,  and  had  not  been  slightly  regarded;  but  his  re- 
flections settled  in  a  conclusion  not  to  be  shaken;  as 
the  same  suggestion  applied  to  no  officer  more  forci- 
bly than  a  few  days  ago  it  would  have  done  to  general 
Arnold,  known  now  to  be  a  traitor. 

Announcing  this  result  of  his  meditations  with  the 
tone  and  countenance  of  a  mind  deeply  agitated,  and 
resolved  upon  its  course,  Lee  continued  silent,  when 
the  general  proceeded:  "  I  have  sent  for  you,  in  the 
expectation  that  you  have  in  your  corps  individuals 
capable  and  willing  to  undertake  an  indispensable  de- 
licate and  hazardous  project.  Whoever  comes  forward 
upon  this  occasion,  will  lay  me  under  great  obligations 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    161 

personally,  and  in  behalf  of  the  United  States  I  will 
reward  him  amply.  No  time  is  to  be  lost:  he  must 
proceed,  if  possible,  this  night.  My  object  is  to  probe 
to  the  bottom  the  afflicting  intelligence  contained  in 
the  papers  you  have  just  read;  to  seize  Arnold,  and 
by  getting  him  to  save  Andre.  They  are  all  connected. 
While  my  emissary  is  engaged  in  preparing  means 
for  the  seizure  of  Arnold,  the  guilt  of  others  can  be 
traced;  and  the  timely  delivery  of  Arnold  to  me,  will 
possibly  put  it  into  my  power  to  restore  the  amiable 
and  unfortunate  Andre  to  his  friends.  My  instructions 
are  ready,  in  which  you  will  find  my  express  orders 
that  Arnold  is  not  to  be  hurt;  but  that  he  be  permitted 
to  escape  if  to  be  prevented  only  by  killing  him,  as 
his  public  punishment  is  the  only  object  in  view.  This 
you  cannot  too  forcibly  press  upon  whomsoever  may 
engage  in  the  enterprise;  and  this  fail  not  to  do.  With 
my  instructions  are  two  letters,  to  be  delivered  as  or- 
dered, and  here  are  some  guineas  for  expenses." 

Major  Lee  replying,  said,  that  he  had  little  or  no 
doubt  but  that  his  legion  contained  many  individuals 
daring  enough  for  any  operation,  however  perilous; 
but  that  the  one  in  view  required  a  combination  of 
qualities  not  easily  to  be  found  unless  in  a  commis- 
sioned officer,  to  whom  he  could  not  venture  to  pro- 
pose an  enterprise,  the  first  step  to  which  was  desertion. 
That  though  the  sergeant-major  of  the  cavalry  was  in 
all  respects  qualified  for  the  delicate  and  adventurous 
project,  and  to  him  it  might  be  proposed  without  in- 
delicacy, as  his  station  did  not  interpose  the  obstacle 

Vol.  II.  X 


162  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

before  stated;  yet  it  was  very  probable  that  the  same 
difficulty  would  occur  in  his  breast,  to  remove  which 
would  not  be  easy,  if  practicable. 

Washington  was  highly  pleased  with  finding  that  a 
non-commissioned  officer  was  deemed  capable  of  exe- 
cuting his  views;  as  he  had  felt  extreme  difficulty  in 
authorizing  an  invitation  to  officers,  who  generally  are, 
and  always  ought  to  be,  scrupulous  and  nice  in  adher- 
ing to  the  course  of  honor.  He  asked  the  name,  the 
country,  the  age,  the  size,  length  of  service,  and  cha- 
racter of  the  sergeant. 

Being  told  his  name, — that  he  was  a  native  of  Lou- 
don county  in  Virginia;  about  twenty-three  or  twenty- 
four  years  of  age, — that  he  had  enlisted  in  1776, — 
rather  above  the  common  size, — full  of  bone  and  mus- 
cle;— with  a  saturnine  countenance,  grave,  thoughtful 
and  taciturn, — of  tried  courage  and  inflexible  perse- 
verance, and  as  likely  to  reject  an  overture  coupled 
with  ignominy  as  any  officer  in  the  corps;  a  commis- 
sion being  the  goal  of  his  long  and  anxious  exertions, 
and  certain  on  the  first  vacancy. 

The  general  exclaimed,  that  he  was  the  very  man 
for  the  business;  that  he  must  undertake  it;  and  that 
going  to  the  enemy  by  the  instigation  and  at  the  re- 
quest of  his  officer  was  not  desertion,  although  it 
appeared  to  be  so:  and  he  enjoined  that  this  explana- 
tion, as  coming  from  him,  should  be  pressed  on 
Champe;  and  that  the  vast  good  in  prospect  should  be 
contrasted  with  the  mere  semblance  of  doing  wrong, 
which  he  presumed  could  not  fail  to  conquer  every 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     163 

scruple.  Major  Lee  assured  the  general,  that  every 
exertion  would  be  essayed  on  his  part  to  execute  his 
wishes;  and  taking  leave  returned  to  the  camp  of  the 
light  corps,  which  he  reached  about  eight  o'clock  at 
night.  Sending  instantly  for  the  sergeant-major,  he  in- 
troduced the  business  in  the  way  best  calculated,  as 
he  thought,  to  produce  his  concurrence;  and  dilated 
largely  on  the  very  great  obligations  he  would  confer 
on  the  commander  in  chief,  whose  unchanging  and 
active  beneficence  to  the  troops  had  justly  drawn  to 
him  their  affection,  which  would  be  merely  nominal, 
if,  when  an  opportunity  should  offer  to  any  individual 
of  contributing  to  the  promotion  of  his  views,  that 
opportunity  was  not  zealously  embraced.  That  the 
one  now  presented  to  him  had  never  before  occurred, 
and  in  all  probability  never  would  occur  again,  even 
should  the  war  continue  for  ages;  it  being  most  rare 
for  three  distinct  consequences,  all  of  primary  weight, 
to  be  comprised  within  a  single  operation,  and  that 
operation  necessarily  to  be  entrusted  to  one  man,  who 
would  want  but  one  or  two  associates  in  the  active 
part  of  its  execution.  That  the  chance  of  detection 
became  extremely  narrow,  and  that  consequently  that 
of  success  enlarged.  That  by  succeeding  in  the  safe 
delivery  of  Arnold,  he  not  only  gratified  his  general 
in  the  most  acceptable  manner,  but  he  would  be  hailed 
as  the  avenger  of  the  reputation  of  the  army,  stained 
by  foul  and  wicked  perfidy;  and  what  could  not  but 
be  highly  pleasing,  he  would  be  the  instrument  of 
saving  the  life  of  major  Andre,  soon  to  be  brought 


164  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

before  a  court  of  inquiry,  the  decision  of  which  could 
not  be  doubted,  from  the  universally  known  circum- 
stances of  the  case,  and  had  been  anticipated  in  the 
general's  instructions.  That  by  investigating  with  di- 
ligence and  accuracy  the  intelligence  communicated 
to  him,  he  would  bring  to  light  new  guilt,  or  he 
would  relieve  innocence  (as  was  most  probable)  from 
distrust;  quieting  the  torturing  suspicions  which  now 
harrowed  the  mind  of  Washington,  and  restoring 
again  to  his  confidence  a  once  honored  general,  pos- 
sessing it  at  present  only  ostensibly,  as  well  as  hush 
doubts  affecting  many  of  his  brother  soldiers. 

In  short,  the  accomplishment  of  so  much  good  was 
in  itself  too  attractive  to  be  renounced  by  a  generous 
mind;  and  when  connected  with  the  recollection  of  the 
high  honor  which  the  selection  shed  upon  him,  as  a 
soldier  he  ought  not, — he  must  not  pause.  This  dis- 
course was  followed  by  a  detail  of  the  plan,  with  a 
wish  that  he  would  enter  upon  its  execution  instantly. 
Champe  listened  with  deep  attention,  and  with  a  highly 
excited  countenance;  the  perturbations  of  his  breast 
not  being  hid  even  by  his  dark  visage.  He  briefly  and 
modestly  replied,  that  no  soldier  exceeded  him  in  res- 
pect and  affection  for  the  commander  in  chief,  to 
serve  whom  he  would  willingly  lay  down  his  life;  and 
that  he  was  sensible  of  the  honor  conferred  by  the 
choice  of  him  for  the  execution  of  a  project  all  over 
arduous;  nor  could  he  be  at  a  loss  to  know  to  whom 
was  to  be  ascribed  the  preference  bestowed,  which  he 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    165 

took  pleasure  in  acknowledging,  although  increasing 
obligations  before  great  and  many. 

That  he  was  charmed  with  the  plan.  Even  its  partial 
success  would  lead  to  great  good;  as  it  would  give 
peace  to  the  general's  mind,  and  do  justice,  as  he 
hoped,  to  innocence.  Full  success:  added  powerful  and 
delicious  personal  excitements,  as  well  as  the  gratifi- 
cation of  the  general  and  army.  He  was  not,  he  said, 
deterred  by  the  danger  and  difficulty  which  was  evi- 
dently to  be  encountered,  but  he  was  deterred  by  the 
ignominy  of  desertion,  to  be  followed  by  the  hypo- 
crisy of  enlisting  with  the  enemy;  neither  of  which 
comported  with  his  feelings,  and  either  placed  an  in- 
superable bar  in  his  way  to  promotion. 

He  concluded  by  observing,  if  any  mode  could  be 
contrived  free  from  disgrace,  he  would  cordially  em- 
bark in  the  enterprise.  As  it  was,  he  prayed  to  be  ex- 
cused; and  hoped  that  services,  always  the  best  in  his 
power  to  perform,  faithfully  performed,  did  entitle  his 
prayer  to  success.  The  objections  at  first  apprehended, 
now  to  be  combatted,  were  extended  to  a  consequence 
which  had  not  suggested  itself.  Lee  candidly  admitted 
that  he  had  expected  the  first  objection  made,  and  that 
only;  which  had  been  imparted  to  the  general,  who 
gave  to  it  full  consideration,  and  concluded  by  de- 
claring, that  the  crime  of  desertion  was  not  incurred; 
as  no  act  done  by  the  soldier  at  the  request  of  the 
commander  in  chief  could  be  considered  as  desertion; 
and  that  an  action  so  manifestly  praiseworthy  as  that 
to  be  performed,  when  known,  would  dissipate  by  its 


166  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

own  force  the  reflections  excited  by  appearance,  which 
no  doubt  would  be  acrimonious,  leaving  the  actor  in 
full  enjoyment  of  the  future  rich  rewards  of  his  virtue. 
That  the  reflecting  mind  ought  not  to  balance  between 
the  achievement  of  so  much  good,  and  the  doing  wrong 
in  semblance  only,  to  which  major  Lee  subjoined,  that 
when  in  consequence  of  the  general's  call  upon  him 
for  a  soldier  capable  and  willing  to  execute  a  project 
so  tempting  to  the  brave,  he  considered  himself  and 
corps  highly  honored;  and  that  he  should  consider 
himself  reduced  to  a  mortifying  condition,  if  the  re- 
sistance to  the  undertaking  compelled  him  to  inform 
the  general  that  he  must  recur  to  some  other  corps  to 
provide  an  agent  to  execute  this  necessary  and  bold 
enterprise. 

He  entreated  the  sergeant  to  ask  himself  what  must 
be  the  sensations  of  his  comrades,  if  a  soldier  from 
some  other  corps  should  execute  the  enterprise,  when 
they  should  be  told  that  the  glory  transferred  to  the 
regiment  of  which  he  was  one,  might  have  been  en- 
joyed by  the  legion,  had  not  sergeant  Champe  shrunk 
from  the  overture  made  to  him  by  his  general,  rather 
than  reject  scruples  too  narrow  and  confined  to  be 
permitted  to  interfere  with  grand  and  virtuous  deeds. 
The  esprit  du  corps  could  not  be  resisted,  and  united 
to  his  inclination,  it  subdued  his  prejudices,  and  he  de- 
clared his  willingness  to  conform  to  the  wishes  of  the 
general;  relying,  as  he  confidently  did,  that  his  repu- 
tation would  be  protected  by  those  who  had  induced 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    167 

him  to  undertake  the  enterprise,  should  he  be  unfor- 
tunate in  the  attempt. 

The  instructions  were  read  to  him,  and  every  dis- 
tinct object  presented  plainly  to  his  view,  of  which  he 
took  notes  so  disguised  as  to  be  understood  only  by 
himself.  He  was  particularly  cautioned  to  use  the  ut- 
most circumspection  in  delivering  his  letters,  and  to 
take  care  to  withhold  from  the  two  individuals,  ad- 
dressed under  feigned  names,  knowledge  of  each  other; 
for  although  both  had  long  been  in  the  confidence  of 
the  general,  yet  it  was  not  known  by  one  that  the  other 
was  so  engaged. 

He  was  further  urged,  to  bear  in  constant  recollec- 
tion the  solemn  injunction  so  pointedly  expressed  in 
the  instructions  to  major  Lee,  of  forbearing  to  kill 
Arnold  in  any  condition  of  things. 

This  part  of  the  business  being  finished,  the  major 
and  sergeant's  deliberation  were  turned  to  the  manner 
of  the  latter's  desertion;  for  it  was  well  known  to  both 
that  to  pass  the  numerous  patroles  of  horse  and  foot 
crossing  from  the  stationary  guards,  was  itself  difficult, 
which  was  now  rendered  more  so  by  parties  thrown 
occasionally  beyond  the  place  called  Liberty  Pole,  as 
well  as  by  swarms  of  irregulars,  induced  sometimes  to 
venture  down  to  the  very  point  at  Paulus  Hook  with 
the  hope  of  picking  up  booty.  Evidently  discernible 
as  were  the  difficulties  in  the  way,  no  relief  could  be 
administered  by  major  Lee,  lest  it  might  induce  a 
belief  that  he  was  privy  to  the  desertion,  which  opi- 
nion getting  to  the  enemy  would  involve  the  life  of 


168  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Champe.  The  sergeant  was  left  to  his  own  resources  and 
to  his  own  management,  with  the  declared  determina- 
tion, that  in  case  his  departure  should  be  discovered 
before  morning,  Lee  would  take  care  to  delay  pur- 
suit as  long  as  was  practicable. 

Giving  to  the  sergeant  three  guineas,  and  present- 
ing his  best  wishes,  he  recommended  him  to  start 
without  delay,  and  enjoined  him  to  communicate  his 
arrival  in  New  York  as  soon  thereafter  as  might  be 
practicable.  Champe  pulling  out  his  watch,  compared 
it  with  the  major's,  reminding  the  latter  of  the  impor- 
tance of  holding  back  pursuit,  which  he  was  convinced 
would  take  place  in  the  course  of  the  night,  and  which 
might  be  fatal,  as  he  knew  that  he  should  be  obliged 
to  zigzag  in  order  to  avoid  the  patroles,  which  would 
consume  time.  It  was  now  nearly  eleven.  The  sergeant 
returned  to  camp,  and  taking  his  cloak,  valice  and  or- 
derly book,  he  drew  his  horse  from  the  picket,  and 
mounting  him  put  himself  upon  fortune.  Lee,  charm- 
ed with  his  expeditious  consummation  of  the  first  part 
of  the  enterprise,  retired  to  rest.  Useless  attempt!  the 
past  scene  could  not  be  obliterated;  and,  indeed,  had 
that  been  practicable,  the  interruption  which  ensued 
would  have  stopped  repose. 

Within  half  an  hour  captain  Carnes,  officer  of  the 
day,  waited  upon  the  major,  and  with  considerable 
emotion  told  him  that  one  of  the  patrole  had  fallen  in 
with  a  dragoon,  who,  being  challenged,  put  spur  to  his 
horse  and  escaped,  though  instantly  pursued.  Lee 
complaining  of  the  interruption,  and  pretending  to  be 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States,    169 

extremely  fatigued  by  his  ride  to  and  from  headquar- # 
ters,  answered  as  if  he  did  not  understand  what  had 
been  said,  which  compelled  the  captain  to  repeat  it. 
Who  can  the  fellow  that  was  pursued  be?  inquired  the 
major;  adding,  a  countryman,  probably.  No,  replied 
the  captain,  the  patrole  sufficiently  distinguished  him 
as  to  know  that  he  was  a  dragoon;  probably  one  from 
the  army,  if  not  certainly  one  of  our  own.  This  idea 
was  ridiculed  from  its  improbability,  as  during  the 
whole  war  but  a  single  dragoon  had  deserted  from  the 
legion.  This  did  not  convince  Carnes,  so  much  stress 
was  it  now  the  fashion  to  lay  on  the  desertion  of  Ar- 
nold, and  the  probable  effect  of  his  example.  The 
captain  withdrew  to  examine  the  squadron  of  horse, 
whom  he  had  ordered  to  assemble  in  pursuance  of  es- 
tablished usage  on  similar  occasions.  Very  quickly  he 
returned,  stating  that  the  scoundrel  was  known,  and 
was  no  less  a  person  than  the  sergeant-major,  who  had 
gone  off  with  his  horse,  baggage,  arms  and  orderly 
book, — so  presumed,  as  neither  the  one  nor  the  other 
could  be  found.  Sensibly  affected  at  the  supposed 
baseness  of  a  soldier  extremely  respected,  the  captain 
added  that  he  had  ordered  a  party  to  make  ready  for 
pursuit,  and  begged  the  major's  written  orders. 

Occasionally  this  discourse  was  interrupted,  and 
every  idea  suggested  which  the  excellent  character  of 
the  sergeant  warranted,  to  induce  the  suspicion  that 
he  had  not  deserted,  but  had  taken  the  liberty  to  leave 
camp  with  a  view  to  personal  pleasure:  an  example, 
said  Lee,  too  often  set  by  the  officers  themselves,  des- 

Vol.  II.  Y 


170  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

•  ... 

tructive  as  it  was  of  discipline,  opposed  as  it  was  to 

orders,  and  disastrous  as  it  might  prove  to  the  corps 
in  the  course  of  service. 

Some  little  delay  was  thus  interposed;  but  it  being 
now  announced  that  the  pursuing  party  was  ready, 
major  Lee  directed  a  change  in  the  officer,  saying  that 
he  had  a  particular  service  in  view,  which  he  had  de- 
termined to  entrust  to  the  lieutenant  ready  for  duty, 
and  which  probably  must  be  performed  in  the  morn- 
ing. He  therefore  directed  him  to  summon  cornet 
Middleton  for  the  present  command.  Lee  was  induced 
thus  to  act,  first  to  add  to  the  delay,  and  next  from 
his  knowledge  of  the  tenderness  of  Middleton's  dispo- 
sition, which  he  hoped  would  lead  to  the  protection  of 
Champe,  should  he  be  taken.  Within  ten  minutes  Mid- 
dleton appeared  to  receive  his  orders,  which  were  de- 
livered to  him  made  out  in  the  customary  form,  and 
signed  by  the  major.  "  Pursue  so  far  as  you  can  with 
safet)^  sergeant  Champe,  who  is  suspected  of  desert- 
ing to  the  enemy,  and  has  taken  the  road  leading  to 
Paulus  Hook.  Bring  him  alive,  that  he  may  suffer  in 
the  presence  of  the  army;  but  kill  him  if  he  resists,  or 
escapes  after  being  taken." 

Detaining  the  cornet  a  few  minutes  longer  in  ad- 
vising him  what  course  to  pursue, — urging  him  to 
take  care  of  the  horse  and  accoutrements,  if  recover- 
ed,— and  enjoining  him  to  be  on  his  guard,  lest  he 
might,  by  his  eager  pursuit,  improvidently  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy, — the  major  dismissed  Middleton, 
wishing  him  success.  A  shower  of  rain  fell  soon  after 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    171 

Champe's  departure,  which  enabled  the  pursuing  dra- 
goons to  take  the  trail  of  his  horse;  knowing,  as  officer 
and  trooper  did,  the  make  of  their  shoes,  whose  im- 
pression was  an  unerring  guide.* 

When  Middleton  departed,  it  was  a  few  minutes 
past  twelve;  so  that  Champe  had  only  the  start  of  ra- 
ther more  than  an  hour, — by  no  means  as  long  as  was 
desired.  Lee  became  very  unhappy,  not  only  because 
the  estimable  and  gallant  Champe  might  be  injured, 
but  lest  the  enterprise  might  be  delayed;  and  he  spent 
a  sleepless  night.  The  pursuing  party  during  the  night, 
was,  on  their  part,  delayed  by  the  necessary  halts  to 
examine  occasionally  the  road,  as  the  impression  of 
the  horse's  shoes  directed  their  course;  this  was  un- 
fortunately too  evident,  no  other  horse  having  passed 
along  the  road  since  the  shower.  When  the  day  broke, 
Middleton  was  no  longer  forced  to  halt,  and  he  pressed 
on  with  rapidity.  Ascending  an  eminence  before  he 
reached  the  Three  Pidgeons,  some  miles  on  the  north 
of  the  village  of  Bergen,  as  the  pursuing  party  reached 
its  summit,  Champe  was  descried  not  more  than  half 
a  mile  in  front.  Resembling  an  Indian  in  his  vigilance, 
the  sergeant  at  the  same  moment  discovered  the  par- 
ty, (whose  object  he  was  no  stranger  to,)  and  giving 
spur  to  his  horse,  he  determined  to  outstrip  his  pur- 
suers. Middleton  at  the  same  instant  put  his  horses  to 

*  The  horses  being  all  shod  by  our  own  farriers,  the  shoes 
were  made  in  the  same  form;  which,  with  a  private  mark  annex- 
ed to  the  fore  shoes,  and  known  to  the  troopers,  pointed  out  the 
trail  of  our  dragoons  to  each  other,  which  was  often  very  useful. 


172  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

the  top  of  their  speed;  and  being  (as  the  legion  all 
were)  well  acquainted  with  the  country,  he  recollected 
a  short  route  through  the  woods  to  the  bridge  below 
Bergen,  which  diverged  from  the  great  road  just  after 
you  gain  the  Three  Pidgeons.  Reaching  the  point  of 
separation,  he  halted;  and  dividing  his  party,  directed 
a  sergeant  with  a  few  dragoons  to  take  the  near  cut, 
and  possess  with  all  possible  despatch  the  bridge, 
while  he  with  the  residue  followed  Champe;  not 
doubting  but  that  Champe  must  deliver  himself  up, 
as  he  would  be  closed  between  himself  and  his  ser- 
geant. Champe  did  not  forget  the  short  cut,  and  would 
have  taken  it  himself,  but  he  knew  it  was  the  usual 
route  of  our  parties  when  returning  in  the  day  from 
the  neighborhood  of  the  enemy,  properly  preferring 
the  woods  to  the  road.  He  consequently  avoided  it; 
and  persuaded  that  Middleton  would  avail  himself  of 
it,  wisely  resolved  to  relinquish  his  intention  of  get- 
ting to  Paulus  Hook,  and  to  seek  refuge  from  two 
British  galleys,  lying  a  few  miles  to  the  west  of 
Bergen. 

This  was  a  station  always  occupied  by  one  or  two 
galleys,  and  which  it  was  known  now  lay  there.  En- 
tering the  village  of  Bergen,  Champe  turned  to  his 
right,  and  disguising  his  change  of  course  as  much  as 
he  could  by  taking  the  beaten  streets,  turning  as  they 
turned,  he  passed  through  the  village  and  took  the 
road  towards  Elizabethtown  Point.  Middleton's  ser- 
geant gained  the  bridge,  where  he  concealed  himself, 
ready  to  pounce  upon  Champe  when  he  came  up;  and 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    173 

Middleton,  pursuing  his  course  through  Bergen,  soon 
got  also  to  the  bridge,  when,  to  his  extreme  mortifica- 
tion, he  found  that  the  sergeant  had  slipped  through 
his  fingers.  Returning  up  the  road,  he  inquired  of  the 
villagers  of  Bergen,  whether  a  dragoon  had  been  seen 
that  morning  preceding  his  party.  He  was  answered  in 
the  affirmative,  but  could  learn  nothing  satisfactorily  as 
to  the  route  he  took.  While  engaged  in  inquiries  him- 
self, he  spread  his  party  through  the  village  to  strike 
the  trail  of  Champe's  horse,  a  resort  always  recurred 
to.  Some  of  his  dragoons  hit  it  just  as  the  sergeant, 
leaving  the  village,  got  in  the  road  to  the  Point.  Pur- 
suit was  renewed  with  vigor,  and  again  Champe  was 
descried.  He,  apprehending  the  event,  had  prepared 
himself  for  it,  by  lashing  his  valice  (containing  his 
clothes  and  orderly  book)  on  his  shoulders,  and  hold- 
ing his  drawn  sword  in  his  hand,  having  thrown  away 
its  scabbard.  This  he  did  to  save  what  was  indispen- 
sable to  him,  and  to  prevent  any  interruption  to  his 
swimming  by  the  scabbard,  should  Middleton,  as  he 
presumed,  when  disappointed  at  the  bridge,  take  the 
measures  adopted  by  him.  The  pursuit  was  rapid  and 
close,  as  the  stop  occasioned  by  the  sergeant's  prepa- 
rations for  swimming  had  brought  Middleton  within 
two  or  three  hundred  yards.  As  soon  as  Champe  got 
abreast  of  the  galleys,  he  dismounted,  and  running 
through  the  marsh  to  the  river,  plunged  into  it,  calling 
upon  the  galleys  for  help.  This  was  readily  given;  they 
fired  upon  our  horse,  and  sent  a  boat  to  meet  Champe, 
who  was  taken  in  and  carried  on  board,  and  conveyed 


174  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

to  New  York  with  a  letter  from  the  captain  of  the  gal- 
ley, stating  the  past  scene,  all  of  which  he  had  seen. 

The  horse  with  his  equipments,  the  sergeant's  cloak 
and  sword  scabbard,  were  recovered;  the  sword  itself, 
being  held  by  Champe  until  he  plunged  into  the  river, 
was  lost,  as  Middleton  found  it  necessary  to  retire 
without  searching  for  it. 

About  three  o'clock  in  the  evening  our  party  re- 
turned, and  the  soldiers,  seeing  the  horse  (well  known 
to  them)  in  our  possession,  made  the  air  resound  with 
exclamations  that  the  scoundrel  was  killed. 

Major  Lee,  called  by  this  heart-rending  annuncia- 
tion from  his  tent,  saw  the  sergeant's  horse  led  by  one 
of  Middleton's  dragoons,  and  began  to  reproach  him- 
self with  the  blood  of  the  high  prized  faithful  and  in- 
trepid Champe.  Stifling  his  agony,  he  advanced  to  meet 
Middleton,  and  became  somewhat  relieved  as  soon  as 
he  got  near  enough  to  discern  the  countenance  of  his 
officer  and  party.  There  was  evidence  in  their  looks  of 
disappointment,  and  he  was  quickly  relieved  by  Mid- 
dleton's information  that  the  sergeant  had  effected  his 
escape  with  the  loss  of  his  horse,  and  narrated  the 
particulars  just  recited. 

Lee's  joy  was  now  as  full  as,  the  moment  before, 
his  torture  had  been  excruciating.  Never  was  a  hap- 
pier conclusion.  The  sergeant  escaped  unhurt,  carry  ~ 
ing  with  him  to  the  enemy  undeniable  testimony  of  the 
sincerity  of  his  desertion, — cancelling  every  apprehen- 
sion before  entertained,  lest  the  enemy  might  suspect 
him  of  being  what  he  really  was. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    175 

Major  Lee  imparted  to  the  commander  in  chief  the 
occurrence,  who  was  sensibly  affected  by  the  hair- 
breadth escape  of  Champe,  and  anticipated  with 
pleasure  the  good  effect  sure  to  follow  the  enemy's 
knowledge  of  its  manner. 

On  the  fourth  day  after  Champe's  departure.  Lee 
received  a  letter  from  him,  written  the  day  before  in 
a  disguised  hand,  without  any  signature,  and  stating 
what  had  passed  after  he  got  on  board  the  galley, 
where  he  was  kindly  received. 

He  was  carried  to  the  commandant  of  New  York 
as  soon  as  he  arrived,  and  presented  the  letter  ad- 
dressed to  this  officer  from  the  captain  of  the  galley. 
Being  asked  to  what  corps  he  belonged,  and  a  few 
other  common  questions,  he  was  sent  under  care  of 
an  orderly  sergeant  to  the  adjutant- general,  who,  find- 
ing that  he  was  sergeant-major  of  the  legion  horse, 
heretofore  remarkable  for  their  fidelity,  he  began  to 
interrogate  him.  He  was  told  by  Champe,  that  such 
was  the  spirit  of  defection  which  prevailed  among  the 
American  troops  in  consequence  of  Arnold's  example, 
that  he  had  no  doubt,  if  the  temper  was  properly  che- 
rished, Washington's  ranks  would  not  only  be  greatly 
thinned,  but  that  some  of  his  best  corps  would  leave 
him.  To  this  conclusion,  the  sergeant  said,  he  was  led 
by  his  own  observations,  and  especially  by  his  know- 
ledge of  the  discontents  which  agitated  the  corps  to 
which  he  had  belonged.  His  size,  place  of  birth,  his 
form,  countenance,  color  of  his  hair,  the  corps  in  which 
he  had  served,  with  other  remarks,  in  conformitv  to  the 


176  Memoirs  of  the  War  m  the 

British  usage,  was  noted  in  a  large  folio  book.  After 
this  was  finished,  he  was  sent  to  the  commander  in 
chief,  in  charge  of  one  of  the  staff,  with  a  letter  from 
the  adjutant- general.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  treated  him 
very  kindly,  and  detained  him  more  than  one  hour, 
asking  him   many   questions,   all   leading, — first   to 
know  to  what  extent  this  spirit  of  defection  might  be 
pushed  by  proper  incitements, — what  the  most  ope- 
rating incitements, — whether  any  general  officers  were 
suspected  by  Washington  as  concerned  in  Arnold's 
conspiracy,  or  any  other  officers  of  note; — who  they 
were,  and  whether  the  troops  approved  or  censured 
Washington's  suspicions; — whether  his  popularity  in 
the  army  was  sinking,  or  continued  stationary.  What 
was  major  Andre's  situation, — whether  any  change 
had  taken  place  in  the  manner  of  his  confinement, — 
what  was  the  current  opinion  of  his  probable  fate, — 
and  whether  it  was  thought  Washington  would  treat 
him  as  a  spy.  To  these  various  interrogations,  some 
of  which  were  perplexing,  Champe  answered  warily; 
exciting,  nevertheless,  hopes  that  the  adoption  of  pro- 
per measures  to  encourage  desertion  (of  which  he 
could  not  pretend  to  form  an  opinion)  would  certainly 
bring  off  hundreds  of  the  American  soldiers,  includ- 
ing some  of  the  best  troops,  horse  as  well  as  foot. 
Respecting  the  fate  of  Andre,  he  said  he  was  ignorant, 
though  there  appeared  to  be  a  general  wish  in  the 
army  that  his  life  should  not  be  taken;  and  that  he 
believed  it  would  depend  more  upon  the  disposition 
of  Congress,  than  on  the  will  of  Washington. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    177 

After  this  long  conversation  ended,  sir  Henry  pre- 
sented Champe  with  a  couple  of  guineas,  and  recom- 
mended him  to  wait  upon  general  Arnold,  who  was 
engaged  in  raising  an  American  legion  in  the  service 
of  his  majesty.  He  directed  one  of  his  aids  to  write  to 
Arnold  by  Champe,  stating  who  he  was,  and  what  he 
had  said  about  the  disposition  in  the  army  to  follow 
his  example;  which  very  soon  done,  it  was  given  to 
the  orderly  attending  on  Champe  to  be  presented  with 
the  deserter  to  general  Arnold.  Arnold  expressed 
much  satisfaction  on  hearing  from  Champe  the  man- 
ner of  his  escape,  and  the  effect  of  Arnold's  example; 
and  concluded  his  numerous  inquiries  by  assigning 
quarters  to  the  sergeant, — the  same  as  were  occupied 
by  his  recruiting  sergeants. 

He  also  proposed  to  Champe  to  join  his  legion, 
telling  him  he  would  give  to  him  the  same  station  he 
had  held  in  the  rebel  service,  and  promising  further 
advancement  when  merited.  Expressing  his  wish  to 
retire  from  war,  and  his  conviction  of  the  certainty  of 
his  being  hung  if  ever  taken  by  the  rebels,  he  begged  to 
be  excused  from  enlistment;  assuring  the  general,  that 
should  he  change  his  mind,  he  would  certainly  accept 
his  offer.  Retiring  to  the  assigned  quarters,  Champe 
now  turned  his  attention  to  the  delivery  of  his  letters, 
which  he  could  not  effect  until  the  next  night,  and  then 
only  to  one  of  the  two  incognita  to  whom  he  was  re- 
commended. This  man  received  the  sergeant  with 
extreme  attention,  and  having  read  the  letter,  assured 
Champe  that  he  might  rely  on  his  faithful  co-operation 

Vol.  II.  Z 


178  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

in  doing  every  thing  in  his  power  consistent  with  his 
safety,  to  guard  which  required  the  utmost  prudence 
and  circumspection.  The  sole  object  in  which  the  aid 
of  this  individual  was  required,  regarded  the  general 
and  others  of  our  army,  implicated  in  the  information 
sent  to  Washington  by  him.  To  this  object  Champe 
urged  his  attention;  assuring  him  of  the  solicitude  it 
had  excited,  and  telling  him  that  its  speedy  investiga- 
tion had  induced  the  general  to  send  him  into  New 
York.  Promising  to  enter  upon  it  with  zeal,  and  en- 
gaging to  send  out  Champe's  letters  to  major  Lee,  he 
fixed  the  time  and  place  for  their  next  meeting,  when 
they  separated. 

Lee  made  known  to  the  general  what  had  been 
transmitted  to  him  by  Champe,  and  received  in  an- 
swer directions  to  press  Champe  to  the  expeditious 
conclusion  of  his  mission;  as  the  fate  of  Andre  would 
be  soon  decided,  when  little  or  no  delay  could  be  ad- 
mitted in  executing  whatever  sentence  the  court  might 
decree.  The  same  messenger  who  brought  Champe's 
letter,  returned  with  the  ordered  communication.  Five 
days  had  nearly  elapsed  after  reaching  New  York, 
before  Champe  saw  the  confidant  to  whom  only  the 
attempt  against  Arnold  was  to  be  entrusted.  This 
person  entered  with  promptitude  into  the  design,  pro- 
mising his  cordial  assistance.  To  procure  a  proper 
associate  to  Champe  was  the  first  object,  and  this  he 
promised  to  do  with  all  possible  despatch.  Furnishing 
a  conveyance  to  Lee,  we  again  heard  from  Champe, 
who  stated  what  I  have  related,  with  the  additional 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    179 

intelligence  that  he  had  that  morning  (the  last  of  Sep- 
tember) been  appointed  one  of  Arnold's  recruiting 
sergeants,  having  enlisted  the  day  before  with  Arnold; 
and  that  he  was  induced  to  take  this  afflicting  step,  for 
the   purpose  of  securing  uninterrupted  ingress  and 
egress  to  the  house  which  the  general  occupied;   it 
being  indispensable  to  a  speedy  conclusion  of  the  dif- 
ficult enterprise  which  the  information  he  had  just 
received  had  so  forcibly  urged.  He  added,  that  the 
difficulties  in  his  way  were  numerous  and  stubborn, 
and  that  his  prospect  of  success  was  by  no  means 
cheering.  With  respect  to  the  additional  treason,  he 
asserted  that  he  had  every  reason  to  believe  that  it  was 
groundless;  that  the  report  took  its  rise  in  the  enemy's 
camp,  and  that  he  hoped  soon  to  clear  up  that  matter 
satisfactorily.  The  pleasure  which  the  last  part  of  this 
communication  afforded,  was  damped  by  the  tidings 
it  imparted  respecting  Arnold,  as  on  his  speedy  deli- 
very depended  Andre's  relief.  The  interposition  of  sir 
Henry  Clinton,  who  was  extremely  anxious  to  sa\e 
his  much  loved  aid-de-camp,  still  continued;  and   it 
was  expected  the  examination  of  witnesses  and  the 
defence  of  the  prisoner,  would  protract  the  decision  of 
the  court  of  inquiry,  now  assembled,  and  give  suffi- 
cient time  for  the  consummation  of  the  project  com- 
mitted to  Champe.  A  complete  disappointment  took 
place  from  a  quarter  unforeseen  and  unexpected.  The 
honorable  and  accomplished  Andre,  knowing  his  guilt, 
disdained  defence,  and  prevented  the  examination  of 
witnesses  by  confessing  the  character  in  which  he 


180  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

stood.  On  the  next  day  (the  2d  of  October)  the  court 
again  assembled;  when  every  doubt  that  could  possi- 
bly arise  in  the  case  having  been  removed  by  the 
previous  confession,  Andre  was  declared  to  be  a  spy, 
and  condemned  to  suffer  accordingly. 

The  sentence  was  executed  on  the  subsequent  day 
in  the  usual  form,  the  commander  in  chief  deeming  it 
improper  to  interpose  any  delay.  In  this  decision  he 
was  warranted  by  the  very  unpromising  intelligence 
received  from  Champe, — by  the  still  existing  impli- 
cation of  other  officers  in  Arnold's  conspiracy, — by  a 
due  regard  to  public  opinion, — and  by  real  tenderness 
to  the  condemned. 

Neither  Congress  nor  the  nation  could  have  been 
with  propriety  informed  of  the  cause  of  the  delay,  and 
without  such  information  it  must  have  excited  in  both 
alarm  and  suspicion.  Andre  himself  could  not  have 
been  entrusted  with  the  secret,  and  would  conse- 
qently  have  attributed  the  unlooked  for  event  to  the 
expostulation  and  exertion  of  sir  Henry  Clinton, 
which  would  not  fail  to  produce  in  his  breast  expec- 
tations of  ultimate  relief;  to  excite  which  would  have 
been  cruel,  as  the  realization  of  such  expectation  de- 
pended upon  a  possible  but  improbable  contingency. 
The  fate  of  Andre,  hastened  by  himself,  deprived  the 
enterprise  committed  to  Champe  of  a  feature  which 
had  been  highly  prized  by  its  projector,  and  which 
had  very  much  engaged  the  heart  of  the  individual 
chosen  to  execute  it. 

Washington  ordered  major  Lee  to  communicate 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    181 

what  had  passed  to  the  sergeant,  with  directions  to 
encourage  him  to  prosecute  with  unrelaxed  vigor  the 
remaining  objects  of  his  instructions,  but  to  intermit 
haste  in  the  execution  only  as  far  as  was  compatible 
with  final  success. 

This  was  accordingly  done  by  the  first  opportunity, 
in  the  manner  directed.  Champe  deplored  the  sad  ne- 
cessity which  occurred,  and  candidly  confessed  that 
the  hope  of  enabling  Washington  to  save  the  life  of 
Andre,  (who  had  been  the  subject  of  universal  com- 
miseration in  the  American  camp)  greatly  contributed 
to  remove  the  serious  difficulties  which  opposed  his 
acceding  to  the  proposition  when  first  propounded. 
Some  documents  accompanied  this  communication, 
tending  to  prove  the  innocence  of  the  accused  general; 
they  were  completely  satisfactory,  and  did  credit  to 
the  discrimination,  zeal  and  diligence  of  the  sergeant. 
Lee  inclosed  them  immediately  to  the  commander  in 
chief,  who  was  pleased  to  express  the  satisfaction  he 
derived  from  the  information,  and  to  order  the  major 
to  wait  upon  him  the  next  day;  when  the  whole  sub- 
ject was  re-examined,  and  the  distrust  heretofore  en- 
tertained of  the   accused  was  for  ever  dismissed.* 

*  Copy  of  a  letter  from  general  Washington  to  major  Lee,  in 

his  own  handwriting. 

October  13,  1780. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  am  very  glad  your  letter,  of  this  date,  has  given  strength  to 
my  conviction  of  the  innocence  of  the  gentleman  who  was  the 
subject  of  your  inquiry. 

I  want 


182  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Nothing  now  remained  to  be  done,  but  the  seizure 
and  safe  delivery  of  Arnold.  To  this  object  Champe 
gave  his  undivided  attention;  and  on  the  19th  Octo- 
ber, major  Lee  received  from  him  a  very  particular 
account  of  the  progress  he  had  made,  with  the  outlines 
of  his  plan.  This  was,  without  delay,  submitted  to 
Washington;  with  a  request  for  a  few  additional  gui- 
neas. The  general's  letter,*  written  on  the  same  day, 

I  want  to  see  you  on  a  particular  piece  of  business.  If  the  day 
is  fair,  and  nothing  of  consequence  intervenes,  1  will  be  at  the 
marquis's  quarters  by  ten  o'clock  to-morrow.  If  this  should  not 
happen,  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  you  at  headquarters. 

I  am,  dear  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

G.  Washington. 

*  Copy  of  a  letter  from  general  Washington  to  major  Lee,  in 
his  own  handwriting. 

Headquarters,  October  20,  1780. 
Dear  Sir, 

The  plan  proposed  for  taking  A d  (the  outlines  of  which  are 

communicated  in  your  letter,  which  was  this  moment  put  into  my 
hands  without  date)  has  every  mark  of  a  good  one.  I  therefore 
agree  to  the  promised  rewards;  and  have  such  entire  confidence 
in  your  management  of  the  business,  as  to  give  it  my  fullest  ap- 
probation; and  leave  the  whole  to  the  guidance  of  your  own 
judgment,  with  this  express  stipulation  and  pointed  injunction, 
that  he  (A d)  is  brought  to  me  alive. 

No  circumstance  whatever  shall  obtain  my  consent  to  his  being 
put  to  death.  The  idea  which  would  accompany  such  an  event, 
would  be  that  ruffians  had  been  hired  to  assassinate  him.  My  aim 
is  to  make  a  public  example  of  him:  and  this  should  be  strongly 
impressed  upon  those  who  are  employed  to  bring  him  off.  The 
sergeant  must  be  very  circumspect; — too  much  zeal  may  create 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     183 

(20th  October)  evinces  his  attention  to  the  minutiae 
of  business,  as  well  as  his  immutable  determination  to 
possess  Arnold  alive,  or  not  at  all.  This  was  his  ori- 
ginal injunction,  which  he  never  omitted  to  enforce 
upon  every  proper  occasion. 

Major  Lee  had  an  opportunity  in  the  course  of  the 
week  of  writing  to  Champe,  when  he  told  him  that  the 
rewards  which  he  had  promised  to  his  associates  would 
be  certainly  paid  on  the  delivery  of  Arnold;  and  in  the 
mean  time,  small  sums  of  money  would  be  furnished 
for  casual  expenses,  it  being  deemed  improper  that  he 
should  appear  with  much,  lest  it  might  lead  to  sus- 
picion and  detection.  That  five  guineas  were  now  sent, 
and  that  more  would  follow  when  absolutely  necessary. 

Ten  days  elapsed  before  Champe  brought  his  mea- 
sures to  conclusion,  when  Lee  received  from  him 
his  final  communication,  appointing  the  third  subse- 
quent night  for  a  party  of  dragoons  to  meet  him  at 

suspicion, — and  too  much  precipitancy  may  defeat  the  project. 
The  most  inviolable  secrecy  must  be  observed  on  all  hands.  I 
send  you  five  guineas;  but  I  am  not  satisfied  of  the  propriety  of 
the  sergeant's  appearing  with  much  specie.  This  circumstance 
may  also  lead  to  suspicion,  as  it  is  but  too  well  known  to  the 
enemy  that  we  do  not  abound  in  this  article. 

The  interviews  between  the  party  in  and  out  of  the  city,  should 
be  managed  with  much  caution  and  seeming  indifference;  or  else 
the  frequency  of  their  meetings,  8cc.  may  betray  the  design,  and 
involve  bad  consequences;  but  I  am  persuaded  you  will  place 
every  matter  in  a  proper  point  of  view  to  the  conductors  of  this 
interesting  business,  and  therefore  1  shall  only  add,  that 

I  am,  dear  sir,  &c.  8cc. 

G.  Washington. 


184  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Hoboken,  when  he  hoped  to  deliver  Arnold  to  the  of- 
ficer. Champe  had,  from  his  enlistment  into  the  Ame- 
rican legion  (Arnold's  corps)  every  opportunity  he 
could  wish,  to  attend  to  the  habits  of  the  general.  He 
discovered  that  it  was  his  custom  to  return  home 
about  twelve  every  night,  and  that  previous  to  going 
to  bed  he  always  visited  the  garden.  During  this  visit 
the  conspirators  were  to  seize  him,  and  being  prepar- 
ed with  a  gag,  intended  to  have  applied  the  same 
instantly. 

Adjoining  the  house  in  which  Arnold  resided,  and 
in  which  it  was  designed  to  seize  and  gag  him,  Champe 
had  taken  off  several  of  the  palings  and  replaced  them, 
so  that  with  care  and  without  noise  he  could  readily 
open  his  way  to  the  adjoining  alley.  Into  this  alley  he 
meant  to  have  conveyed  his  prisoner,  aided  by  his 
companion,  one  of  two  associates  who  had  been  intro- 
duced by  the  friend  to  whom  Champe  had  been  ori- 
ginally made  known  by  letter  from  the  commander  in 
chief,  and  with  whose  aid  and  counsel  he  had  so  far 
conducted  the  enterprise.  His  other  associate  was 
with  the  boat  prepared  at  one  of  the  wharves  on  the 
Hudson  river,  to  receive  the  party. 

Champe  and  his  friend  intended  to  have  placed 
themselves  each  under  Arnold's  shoulder,  and  to  have 
thus  borne  him  through  the  most  unfrequented  alleys 
and  streets  to  the  boat;  representing  Arnold,  in  case 
of  being  questioned,  as  a  drunken  soldier  whom  they 
were  conveying  to  the  guard-house. 

When  arrived  at  the  boat  the  difficulties  would  be 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    185 

all  surmounted,  there  being  no  danger  nor  obstacle 
in  passing  to  the  Jersey  shore.  These  particulars  as 
soon  as  known  to  Lee,  were  communicated  to  the 
commander  in  chief,  who  was  highly  gratified  with  the 
much  desired  intelligence.  He  directed  major  Lee 
to  meet  Champe,  and  to  take  care  that  Arnold  should 
not  be  hurt.  The  day  arrived,  and  Lee  with  a  party  of 
dragoons  left  camp  late  in  the  evening,  with  three  led 
accoutred  horses;  one  for  Arnold,  one  for  the  sergeant 
and  the  third  for  his  associate,  never  doubting  the  suc- 
cess of  the  enterprise,  from  the  tenor  of  the  last  re- 
ceived communication.  The  party  reached  Hoboken 
about  midnight,  where  they  were  concealed  in  the  ad- 
joining wood, — Lee  with  three  dragoons  stationing 
himself  near  the  river  shore.  Hour  after  hour  pass- 
ed,— no  boat  approached.  At  length  the  day  broke 
and  the  major  retired  to  his  party,  and  with  his  led 
horses  returned  to  camp,  when  he  proceeded  to  head- 
quarters to  inform  the  general  of  the  much  lamented 
disappointment,  as  mortifying  as  inexplicable.  Wash- 
ington having  perused  Champe's  plan  and  communi- 
cation, had  indulged  the  presumption  that  at  length  the 
object  of  his  keen  and  constant  pursuit  was  sure  of 
execution,  and  did  not  dissemble  the  joy  such  convic- 
tion produced.  He  was  chagrined  at  the  issue,  and 
apprehended  that  his  faithful  sergeant  must  have  been 
detected  in  the  last  scene  of  his  tedious  and  difficult 
enterprise. 

In  a  few  days,  Lee  received  an  anonymous  letter 
from  Champe's  patron  and  friend,  informing  him  that 

Vol.  II.  2  A 


186  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

on  the  day  preceding  the  night  fixed  for  the  execution 
of  the  plot,  Arnold  had  removed  his  quarters  to  ano- 
ther part  of  the  town,  to  superintend  the  embarkation 
of  troops,  preparing  (as  was  rumored)  for  an  expedi- 
tion to  be  directed  by  himself;  and  that  the  American 
legion,  consisting  chiefly  of  American  deserters,  had 
been  transferred  from  their  barracks  to  one  of  the  trans- 
ports; it  being  apprehended  that  if  left  on  shore  until 
the  expedition  was  ready,  many  of  them  might  desert. 
Thus  it  happened  that  John  Champe,  instead  of  cross- 
ing the  Hudson  that  night,  was  safely  deposited  on 
board  one  of  the  fleet  of  transports,  from  whence  he 
never  departed  until  the  troops  under  Arnold  landed 
in  Virginia!  Nor  was  he  able  to  escape  from  the  Bri- 
tish army  until  after  the  junction  of  lord  Cornwallis  at 
Petersburg,  when  he  deserted;  and  proceeding  high  up 
into  Virginia  he  passed  into  North  Carolina  near  the 
Saura  towns,  and  keeping  in  the  friendly  districts  of 
that  state,  safely  joined  the  army  soon  after  it  had  pass- 
ed the  Congaree  in  pursuit  of  lord  Rawdon. 

His  appearance  excited  extreme  surprize  among 
his  former  comrades,  which  was  not  a  little  increased 
when  they  saw  the  cordial  reception  he  met  with  from 
the  late  major  now  lieutenant  colonel  Lee.  His  whole 
story  soon  became  known  to  the  corps,  which  repro- 
duced the  love  and  respect  of  officer  and  soldier  (here- 
tofore invariably  entertained  for  the  sergeant),  height- 
ened by  universal  admiration  of  his  late  daring  and 
arduous  attempt. 

Champe  was  introduced  to  general  Greene,  who 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    187 

very  cheerfully  complied  with  the  promises  made  by 
the  commander  in  chief,  as  far  as  in  his  power;  and 
having  provided  the  sergeant  with  a  good  horse  and 
money  for  his  journey,  sent  him  to  general  Wash- 
ington, who  munificently  anticipated  every  desire  of 
the  sergeant  and  presented  him  with  his  discharge 
from  further  service,*  lest  he  might,  in  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  war,  fall  into  the  enemy's  hands;  when,  if  re- 
cognized, he  was  sure  to  die  on  a  gibbet. 

*  When  general  Washington  was  called  by  president  Adams 
to  the  command  of  the  army,  prepared  to  defend  the  country 
from  French  hostility,  he  sent  to  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  to  in- 
quire for  Champe;  being  determined  to  bring  him  into  the  field 
at  the  head  of  a  company  of  infantry. 

Lee  sent  to  Loudon  county,  where  Champe  settled  after  his 
discharge  from  the  army;  when  he  learned  that  the  gallant  sol- 
dier had  removed  to  Kentucky,  where  he  soon  after  died. 


188  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

LORD  CORNWALLIS,  whom  we  left  at  Wil- 
mington, in  pursuance  of  his  ultimate  decision  (taken 
after  much  consideration)  moved  on  the  25th  of  April; 
eighteen  days  after  Greene  had  advanced  upon  Camb- 
den.  Previous  to  his  march,  he  communicated  to  major 
general  Phillips  his  intention,  and  his  route;  designat- 
ing Petersburg  as  the  place  of  junction  between  him- 
self and  Phillips.  Proceeding  towards  Halifax,  on  the 
Roanoke,  the  British  general  preserved  (by  the  rigid- 
ness  with  which  he  enforced  his  orders)  the  country 
from  devastation  and  private  property  from  spoliation; 
hoping,  by  the  exercise  of  his  natural  moderation  and 
humanity,  to  give  effect  to  his  unremitted  exertions 
to  bring  all  the  loyalists  of  North  Carolina  into  active 
co-operation  with  his  army.  But  wisely  and  persever- 
ingiy  as  he  endeavored  to  realize  this  favorite  object, 
very  partial  success  followed.  The  severe  chastisement 
so  often  experienced  by  these  men,  the  unceasing 
vigilance  of  government,  and  the  success  of  Greene's 
operations  in  South  Carolina,  were  irresistible  in  their 
effect.  Happily  for  themselves,  happily  for  their  coun- 
try, these  deluded  people  adhered  to  a  state  of  quies- 
cence. In  this  condition  of  things,  the  militia  were 
ordered  to  the  field,  and  some  portions  of  them  ac- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States*    189 

tually  embodied, — well  disposed  (as  militia  always 
are)  to  sustain  the  common  cause;  but  (like  militia 
thus  organized  always  are  and  ever  will  be)  incapa- 
ble of  executing  their  wish,  or  the  will  of  government. 
Lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton  led,  as  usual,  the  advance 
of  Cornwallis,  supported  by  lieutenant  colonel  Hamil- 
ton, (of  the  North  Carolina  regiment)  well  known  in 
that  state,  and  universally  esteemed  and  respected.  To 
the  influence  and  efforts  of  this  officer  may,  in  a  great 
degree,  be  ascribed  the  moderation  exhibited  by  these 
advanced  corps*  on  their  march;  alike  repugnant  to 
the  principles,  the  temper  and  habits  heretofore  dis- 
played. During  the  tedious  progress  from  Cape  Fear 
to  the  Roanoke,  the  enemy  met  no  interruption.  Even 

*  Colonel  Hamilton  had,  before  the  war,  resided  in  Norfolk; 
where  his  goodness,  hospitality  and  urbanity  had  attracted  uni- 
versal esteem.  His  business  leading  him  into  much  acquaintance 
with  the  inhabitants  of  North  Carolina,  he  acquired  there,  as 
in  Norfolk,  the  general  regard.  Believing  the  mother  country 
right  in  the  dispute  which  led  to  the  war,  Hamilton  took  part 
with  Great  Britain,  and  became  a  soldier.  He  raised  a  regiment 
of  North  Carolinians,  and  both  in  the  field  and  in  the  cabinet  per- 
formed essential  services  to  his  general:  serving  in  the  South,  first 
under  Prevost, afterwards  under  sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  lastly  un- 
der lord  Cornwallis,  in  whose  confidence  he  stood  very  high.  Not 
only  the  native  goodness  of  his  heart  set  Hamilton  against  those 
destructive  proceedings  too  often  practised  by  the  corps  of  Tarle- 
ton; but  he  was  particularly  desirous  to  preserve  the  inhabi- 
tants of  North  Carolina  safe  from  insult  and  injury;  in  conse- 
quence as  well  of  his  own  acquaintance  with  many  of  them,  as 
of  his  present  solicitude  to  bring  the  mass  of  the  people  into  sup- 
port of  the  royal  measures. 


190  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

his  foraging  parties  were  undisturbed;  and  the  marau- 
ders accompanying  his  army  passed  and  repassed  in 
security,  unless  detected  and  apprehended  by  British 
guards  and  British  patrols.  A  general  torpor*  prevail- 
ed throughout  the  country  through  which  the  British 
general  took  his  course;  ascribable,  not  to  the  languor 
of  the  inhabitants,  but  to  the  impotency  of  government. 
After  reaching  Halifax,  the  British  army  halted.  Here 
the  restrained  licentiousness  of  the  unprincipled  burst 
out,  and  shocking  outrages  were  committed  upon  our 
unprotected  fellow  citizens, — disgraceful  to  British 
arms,  and  degrading  to  the  name  of  man.f 

General  Phillips  took  possession  of  Petersburg  on 

*  At  Swift  run,  and  at  Fish  creek,  parties  of  our  militia  skir- 
mished with  the  British  van, — but  these  attempts  were  slight 
and  soon  crushed.  They  were  the  only  ones  essayed  between  Wil- 
mington and  Halifax,  where  a  more  serious  effort  ensued;  but 
this  too  was  quickly  overpowered. 

t  These  enormities  being  discovered  by  lord  Cornwallis,  he  fol- 
lowed the  light  troops  about  four  miles  beyond  the  Roanoke,  and 
halted  their  march. 

"  On  the  arrival  of  some  country  people,  earl  Cornwallis  di- 
rected lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton  to  dismount  his  dragoons  and 
mounted  infantry,  and  to  form  them  into  a  rank  entire  for  the 
convenient  inspection  of  the  inhabitants,  to  facilitate  the  discove- 
ry of  the  villains  who  had  committed  atrocious  outrages  the  pre- 
ceding evening.  A  sergeant  and  one  private  dragoon  were  pointed 
out,  and  accused  of  rape  and  robbery:  they  were  conducted  to 
Halifax,  where  they  were  condemned  to  death  by  martial  law. 
The  immediate  infliction  of  the  sentence,  exhibited  to  the  army 
and  manifested  to  the  country  the  discipline  and  justice  of  the 
British  general."  (See  Tarleton's  Campaigns.) 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    191 

the  9th  of  May,  extremely  ill  with  a  bilious  fever, 
which  had  afflicted  him  for  several  days;  and  in  spite 
of  all  medical  exertions,  it  put  a  period  to  his  life  on 
the  13th;  by  which  event  the  command  of  the  army 
devolved  upon  brigadier  Arnold. 

Cornwallis  leaving  Halifax,  passed  the  Roanoke, 
whence  he  detached  lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton  with 
his  legion  to  the  Meherrion,  to  hold  the  fords  across 
that  river:  lieutenant  colonel  Simcoe,  with  his  ranr 
gers,  being  at  the  same  time  sent  forward  by  general 
Arnold  to  the  Nottoway,  for  the  like  purpose.  No 
interruption  was  attempted  against  either  detachment: 
all  the  force  assembled  for  the  protection  of  the  state 
being  with  La  Fayette  in  his  position  near  Richmond. 
Following  the  advanced  corps,  Cornwallis  passed  the 
Meherrion,  then  the  Nottoway,  and  on  the  20th  en- 
tered Petersburg. 

One  month  of  the  best  season  of  the  year  for  mili- 
tary operations,  had  been  nearly  expended  in  the  march 
from  Wilmington  by  one  army;  while  the  other,  dur- 
ing the  like  period,  occupied  itself  in  the  trivial  expe- 
ditions heretofore  described, — as  inoperative  to  effect 
the  great  object  in  view,  as  they  were  disgraceful  to 
the  British  government,  and  oppressive  to  individuals. 

The  union  of  the  two  armies  gave  to  the  British 
general  a  force  so  far  superior  to  his  enemy,  as  to 
threaten  the  destruction  of  Virginia.  Cornwallis  did 
not  excel  in  numbers  only;  his  troops  were  excellent, 
with  the  exception  of  Arnold's  corps.  Exclusive  of 
the  garrison  of  Portsmouth,  two  battalions  of  light  in- 


1 92  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

fantry,  the  Queen's  rangers  (horse  and  foot)  under  lieu- 
tenant colonel  Simcoe,  the  seventy-sixth  and  eightieth 
British  regiments,  with  that  of  Hesse  (called  der  Prince 
Hereditaire),  two  companies  of  yagers,  and  Arnold's 
American  legion,  with  a  well  appointed  detachment 
of  artillery,  composed  the  force  lately  under  Phillips, 
and  were  now  united  to  the  tried  troops  of  the  South. 
In  addition,  a  reinforcement  was  in  James  river  from 
New  York  under  general  Leslie,  consisting  of  the 
seventeenth  and  forty- third  regiments,  British,  and 
two  battalions  of  Anspach.  The  seventeenth  regiment 
and  the  Anspach  battalions  were  ordered  to  Ports- 
mouth, the  command  of  which  post  was  confided  to 
general  Leslie,  wliile  the  forty-third  proceeded  to  join 
Cornwallis.  About  this  time  the  British  general  re- 
ceived a  despatch  from  lord  Rawdon,  communicating 
his  victory  at  Hobkick's  hill;  and  as  if  nothing  should 
be  wanting  to  stimulate  the  exertions  of  his  lordship, 
he  was  also  officially  advised  of  the  sailing  of  a  fleet 
from  Cork  in  Ireland,  with  three  regiments,  destined 
for  South  Carolina. 

The  success  of  Rawdon,  and  the  reinforcement  from 
Ireland,  calmed  the  disquietude  heretofore  excited  in 
the  breast  of  Cornwallis  by  general  Greene's  return  to 
South  Carolina;  and  reproduced  the  fallacious  hope, 
that  while  he  prostrated  Virginia,  Rawdon  would 
maintain  undiminished  his  late  conquests. 

La  Fayette  still  held  his  position  near  Richmond, 
occasionally  strengthened  by  detachments  of  militia, 
brought  into  the  field  by  the  unceasing  efforts  of  go- 
vernor Jefferson. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    193 

Baron  Steuben,  with  six  hundred  levies,  was  on  the 
south  of  James  river,  proceeding  to  South  Carolina  to 
reinforce  Greene;  and  brigadier  Wayne,  with  the 
Pennsylvania  line,  (now  reduced  to  eight  or  nine  hun- 
dred) was  on  his  march  from  the  Northern  army  to 
unite  with  La  Fayette. 

The  baron  was  recalled,  and  directed  to  take  post 
at  the  Point  of  Fork,  the  depot  of  most  of  our  remain- 
ing military  stores;  and  general  Nelson,  with  two 
thousand  militia  in  the  field,  continued  with  La  Fay- 
ette; while  general  Weedon,  of  the  continental  line, 
(now  at  home,  in  consequence  of  the  diminution  of 
our  force,)  was  requested  to  collect  a  corps  of  the  mi- 
litia in  the  vicinity  of  Fredericksburg,  for  the  purpose 
of  covering  the  most  important  and  well  conducted 
manufactory  of  arms  in  the  state,  established  at  Fal- 
mouth, a  small  village  on  the  north  of  the  Rappahan- 
noc,  one  mile  above  Fredericksburg,  and  under  th© 
direction  of  Mr.  John  Strode, — a  gentleman  singu- 
larly adapted,  by  his  genius  and  habits,  for  its  super- 
intendance. 

La  Fayette's  force,  in  his  camp  below  Richmond, 
did  not  exceed  four  thousand,  of  which  three  fourths 
were  militia.  But  in  conformity  to  the  system  adopted 
by  governor  Jefferson,  continental  officers  were  sub- 
stituted, in  the  higher  commands,  for  those  of  the 
militia;  which,  although  not  very  well  relished  by  those 
who  retired,  was  highly  grateful  to  the  soldiers;  who, 
perceiving  the  perils  before  them,  rejoiced  in  being 
led  by  tried  and  experienced  men.  Such  will  always 

Vol.  II.  2  B 


194  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

be  the  effect  of  acknowledged  danger  on  the  mind  of 
man. 

La  Fayette  selected  seven  hundred  and  fifty  of  his 
best  militia  marksmen,  and  dividing  them  into  three 
corps  of  light  infantry,  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  each, 
he  placed  them  respectively  under  the  orders  of  ma- 
jors Call,  Willis,  and  Dick,  regular  officers.  This 
arrangement  was  judicious,  and  during  the  campaign 
its  beneficial  effect  was  often  felt. 

Could  the  American  general  have  united  to  this 
body  of  infantry  an  adequate  corps  of  cavalry,  he  would 
have  very  much  increased  its  utility;  but  of  this  spe- 
cies of  force  he  was  unfortunately  almost  destitute, 
although  the  two  states  of  Maryland  and  Virginia  fur- 
nish horses  of  the  best  quality.  Only  the  remnant  of 
Armand's  corps  (not  more  than  sixty),  and  a  troop  of 
volunteer  dragoons,  under  captain  Carter  Page,  late  of 
Baylor's  corps,  were  with  him. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton  states  the  force  in  Virginia,  pre- 
vious to  the  arrival  of  lord  Cornwallis,  to  be  five  thou- 
sand three  hundred  and  four.  Since  his  lordship's 
assumption  of  the  command,  general  Leslie  (as  has 
been  mentioned)  joined  with  three  regiments  from 
New  York,  of  which  the  forty-third  was  added  to  the 
army.  The  field  force  under  Cornwallis  cannot  be  esti- 
mated undereight  thousand, — more  than  double  of  that 
acting  with  his  adversary.  What  added  vastly  to  this 
superiority  was  the  enemy's  strength  in  horse.  His 
dragoons  were  rated  at  four  hundred,  to  which  were 
united  seven  or  eight  hundred  mounted  infantry.  Dur- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     195 

mg  four  days'  halt  in  Petersburg,  which  period  of  rest 
was  necessary  to  the  army  from  Wilmington,  the  Bri- 
tish general  communicated  his  situation,  strength  and 
views  to  his  commander  in  chief,  and  gave  all  requi- 
site directions  to  the  corps  of  Leslie  occupying  Ports- 
mouth,— that  of  Craig,  in  possession  of  Wilmington, — 
and  to  lord  Rawdon,  commanding  the  army  of  defence 
in  the  two  southern  states.  On  the  24th  of  May  his 
lordship  moved,  taking  the  route  on  the  south  of  the 
Appomattox,  with  a  determination  of  passing  the 
James  river  at  Westover,  the  elegant  seat  of  the  late 
colonel  Byrd;  where  he  not  only  could  avail  himself 
of  maritime  aid  in  the  transportation  of  his  army  across 
the  river,  but  might  with  facility  draw  to  him  the 
forty-third  regiment,  not  yet  disembarked.  Here  ge- 
neral Arnold,  having  obtained  permission  to  return  to 
New  York,  left  the  army.  This  step  has  been  ascribed 
to  two  motives,  each  of  which  probably  had  its  in- 
fluence: the  first  was  a  prospect  of  a  very  active  cam- 
paign, in  the  vicissitudes  whereof  he  might  fall  into 
our  hands-,  and  the  last,  his  own  unpleasant  situation 
among  the  British  officers, — always  irksome  to  him 
from  their  objections  to  his  company  and  control,  and 
now  considerably  increased  by  the  reluctance  of  the 
officers  who  had  served  with  so  much  glory  and  effect 
in  the  Carolinas,  to  receive  orders  from  a  traitor. 

Nearly  three  days  were  occupied  in  the  passage  of 
James  river;  although  unobstructed  by  any  attempt  on 
our  side,  and  although  facilitated  by  every  exertion  on 
the  part  of  the  British  navy,  and  though  all  the  horses 


196  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

belonging  to  the  army  swam  the  river,  more  than  two 
miles  wide. 

As  soon  as  the  rear  division  had  passed,  the  main 
body  proceeded  to  White  Oak  swamp,  to  which  place 
the  light  troops  under  Tarleton  and  Simcoe  had  moved 
the  day  previous.  La  Fayette,  well  informed  of  the 
enemy's  motions,  and  prepared  for  retreat,  broke  up 
from  his  position  below  Richmond,  and  fell  behind  the 
Chickohominy  river,  in  the  direction  towards  Frede- 
ricksburg; for  the  double  purpose  of  approximating 
brigadier  Wayne,  on  his  march  from  the  north,  and 
of  covering  the  manufactory  of  arms  in  the  vicinity  of 
Falmouth. 

The  British  general  followed  with  zeal  and  rapidity, 
and  crossed  the  Chickohominy  at  Bottom  bridge,  ma- 
nifesting his  determination  to  force  La  Fayette  into 
battle  before  his  junction  with  Wayne;  which  cer- 
tainly ought  to  have  been  his  primary  object,  and 
might  have  been  effected  by  his  decided  superiority  in 
cavalry,  augmented  by  mounted  infantry. 

La  Fayette  felt  his  extreme  inferiority,  and  used 
every  mean  in  his  power  to  draw  to  his  aid  additional 
reinforcements  in  horse  and  foot.  To  the  governor,  to 
Steuben,  to  Nelson,  and  to  Weedon,  he  applied  with 
zeal  bordering  on  importunity;  and  his  applications 
received,  as  they  merited,  due  respect.  But  the  pre- 
parations had  been  improvidently  delayed,  and  the  loss 
of  our  military  stores  at  Westham,  during  Arnold's  in- 
vasion, deprived  us  of  the  necessary  arms  and  equip- 
ments; which,  with  the  removal  of  families  and  of  pro- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    197 

perty,  prevailing  now  in  every  direction,  very  much 
limited  the  effect  of  the  various  exertions  made  to  com- 
ply with  his  requests. 

During  the  invasion  of  Leslie,  which  followed  that 
under  Matthews,  governor  Jefferson  (in  pursuance  of 
the  full  powers  with  which  he  had  been  invested  by 
the  general  assembly)  had  brought  into  the  field  some 
legionary  corps,  under  the  most  approved  continental 
officers  of  the  Virginia  line. 

Brigadier  Lawson,  (who  commanded  one  of  the  two 
brigades  of  Virginia  militia  which  behaved  so  hand- 
somely at  the  battle  of  Guilford  court-house)  was  at 
the  head  of  the  strongest  of  these  corps,  having  un- 
der him  the  lieutenant  colonels  Monroe,*  Bannister 
and  Mercer,  f  As  soon  as  Leslie  abandoned  Virginia 
to  join  Cornwallis  in  South  Carolina,  Lawson's  corps 
was  disbanded;  by  which  means  the  horse  commanded 
by  Bannister  was  lost  to  the  state,  when  our  situation 
now  so  pressingly  required  cavalry. 

On  receiving  La  Fayette's  request,  brigadier  Wee- 
don  applied  to  lieutenant  colonel  Mercer,  formerly  of 
Lawson's  legion,  and  who  had  served  from  the  first 
year  of  the  war  in  the  celebrated  third  regiment  of 
Virginia,  until  the  battle  of  Monmouth.  He  was  then 
one  of  the  aids  of  major  general  Lee;  and  believing  his 
general's  suspension  from  his  command  both  unjust  and 
unwise,  he  retired  from  the  profession  of  arms,  for  which 
he  was  well  qualified,  and  in  which  he  had  acquired, 

*  James  Monroe,  now  secretary  of  state. 
t  John  Mercer,  late  governor  of  Maryland. 


198  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

by  severe  and  active  service,  considerable  proficiency 
with  personal  distinction.  This  gentleman  instantly 
complied  with  Weedon's  application;  and  in  a  few 
days  he  raised  a  troop  of  dragoons,  composed  of  the 
youth  of  the  best  families  in  his  neighborhood,  mount- 
ed and  equipped  at  their  own  expense.  With  this  troop 
Mercer  hastened  to  the  retiring  army, — a  small  but 
acceptable  aid. 

La  Fayette,  adhering  to  the  example  and  instruc- 
tions of  Greene,  continued  to  retreat;  and  before 
Cornwallis  reached  the  Chickohominy,  had  passed  the 
Pamunkey,  the  southern  branch  of  York  river. 

In  this  position  he  was  overtaken  by  a  detachment 
of  the  light  troops  under  lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton, 
whose  sudden  approach  compelled  him  to  form  his  ar- 
my for  battle.  Had  this  movement  of  Tarleton  been  in- 
tended as  a  serious  operation,  it  would  have  been  ade- 
quately supported,  and  must  have  terminated  in  the 
destruction  or  dispersion  of  the  American  force;  an 
event  full  of  ill,  not  only  to  the  suffering  state  but  to 
the  Union. 

Wayne  and  Steuben  never  could  have  joined  but 
by  crossing  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  uniting  on  its  west- 
ern side.  Cornwallis  seems  to  have  been  sure  of  his 
meditated  victim,  if  we  may  judge  of  his  expectation 
from  a  paragraph  of  a  letter  of  his,  published  in  doctor 
Ramsay's  history  of  the  revolution  in  South  Carolina, 
wherein  he  says,  "  the  boy  cannot  escape  me."  Like 
all  soldiers  over  confident,  he  contrived  to  foil  himself. 
The  realization  of  such  expectation  was  not,  indeed, 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    199 

difficult;  as  La  Fayette  had  not  preserved,  on  his  re- 
treat, the  distance  from  his  enemy  claimed  by  his  great 
inferiority. 

He  was  often  not  more  than  twenty  miles  from  the 
British  general,  who  had  at  his  disposal  at  least  one 
thousand  horse  and  mounted  infantry.  Putting  one 
soldier  behind  each  of  those  mounted,  he  could  by  an 
easy  exertion,  in  any  twenty-four  hours,  have  placed 
two  thousand  veterans,  conducted  by  skilful  and  expe- 
rienced officers,  close  to  his  enemy;  whose  attempt  to 
retreat  would  have  been  so  embarrassed  and  delayed  as 
to  have  given  time  for  the  main  body  to  have  approach- 
ed. Then  La  Fayette's  destruction  would  have  been  as 
easy  as  inevitable.  Why  this  plain  mode  of  operation 
was  overlooked  and  neglected  by  Cornwallis,  did  then 
and  does  still  excite  the  surprise  of  all  intelligent  sol- 
diers conversant  with  the  transaction.  Lieutenant  co- 
lonel Mercer,  with  his  small  corps  of  horse,  joined  La 
Fayette  in  this  critical  situation,  and  was  very  instru- 
mental in  discovering  that  the  corps  under  Tarleton 
was  only  a  large  patrole.  The  communication  of  this 
intelligence  repressed  those  afflicting  reflections  which 
the  evidence  of  such  impending  danger  could  not  fail 
to  create  in  a  leader  less  penetrating  and  less  anxious 
than  was  the  gallant  La  Fayette. 

Tarleton  did  not  continue  long  in  his  front,  during 
which  time  one  of  his  exploring  parties  was  so  fortu- 
tunate  as  to  intercept  a  courier  conveying  letters  from 
the  American  general  to  Greene,  Steuben  and  gover- 
nor Jefferson.  In  the  letter  to  Jefferson,  the  marquis,  as 


200  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton  informs  us,  "  prophetically 
declared,  that  the  British  success  in  Virginia  resem- 
bled the  French  invasion  and  possession  of  Hanover*" 
in  the  preceding  war,  and  was  likely  to  have  similar 
consequences,  if  the  government  and  the  country 
would  exert  themselves  at  the  present  juncture." 

As  soon  as  the  British  patrole  drew  off,  La  Fayette 
broke  up,  and  abandoning  the  protection  of  Fredericks- 
burg, and  the  manufactory  of  arms  in  its  neighbour- 
hood, hastened  by  forced  marches  through  the  west- 
ern district  of  Spotsylvania  county,  across  the  head 

*  It  is  well  known  that  the  marshal  D'Estrees  was  opposed, 
in  the  preceding  war,  to  the  duke  of  Cumberland  in  Germany; 
and  that  passing  the  river  Weser,  he  followed  the  duke  step  by- 
step;  overtook  him  at  Hastenbek,  fought  him  and  beat  him. 

Marshal  Richelieu  now  succeeded  D'Estrees,  and  press- 
ing the  late  victory,  drove  the  duke  upon  the  mouth  of  the 
Elbe,  when  he  surrendered  his  army  by  convention;  by  which 
means  the  electorate  of  Hanover  fell  into  the  possession  of  the 
French. 

The  great  Frederick,  already  in  the  greatest  distress,  was  in 
consequence  of  the  surrender  of  the  duke  of  Cumberland,  more 
oppressed;  as  it  enabled  the  prince  of  Sonbise,  at  the  head  of 
one  of  the  armies  closing  upon  Frederick,  to  draw  a  considera- 
ble reinforcement  from  marshal  Richelieu.  Nevertheless  the  king 
of  Prussia  fell  upon  Soubise  at  Rosbach,  and  gained  a  signal  vic- 
tory. The  Hanoverians,  encouraged  by  this  event,  exerted  them- 
selves greatly;  and  as  the  French  monarch  had  not  ratified  the 
convention  of  Clostersevcn,  the  army  of  the  duke  was  onsider- 
ed  as  relieved  from  its  conditions,  and  joined  to  the  Hanoverians. 
Richelieu  was  speedily  forced  out  of  Hanover  with  considerable 
loss;  and  the  electorate  restored  to  the  king  of  England. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    201 

waters  of  the  Mattapony,  the  northern  branch  of  York 
river,  to  gain  the  road  on  which  Wayne  was  advan- 
cing. This  unavoidable  departure  from  his  original 
system  was  executed  with  indefatigable  diligence;  nor 
did  he  ever  again,  during  his  retreat,  risk  himself  with- 
in twenty  miles  of  his  able  foe;  so  thoroughly  had 
Tarleton's  late  approach  convinced  him  of  the  peril 
to  which  he  had  been  exposed. 

Cornwallis  persevered  in  pursuit;  but  finding  that 
the  distance  between  his  adversary  and  himself  daily 
increased,  he  halted  and  turned  his  mind  to  inferior 
objects.  He  had  in  the  preceding  campaign  expe- 
rienced the  inanity  of  pursuing  Greene;  and  for- 
getting his  then  and  present  condition,  as  well  as  that 
of  Greene  and  of  La  Fayette,  he  determined  to  strug- 
gle no  longer  to  stop  the  junction  of  the  latter  with 
Wayne,  but  to  employ  his  force  in  cowering  the  mind 
of  the  state,  and  in  destroying  all  its  remaining  re- 
sources for  the  maintenance  of  armed  resistance. 

To  this  decision  he  seems  to  have  been  led  by  his 
conviction  that  Wayne,  united  to  La  Fayette,  dimin- 
ished so  little  the  relative  size  of  himself  and  his  an- 
tagonist, as  to  forbid  his  inattention  to  other  objects 
deemed  by  himself  important,  while  it  would  increase 
the  chance  of  striking  his  meditated  blow  against 
both.  Two  considerations,  entitled  to  weight,  support- 
ed this  decision.  The  first  grew  out  of  the  character  of 
Wayne,  which,  after  junction  with  La  Fayette  could 
not  but  mix  itself  in  the  subsequent  operations,  he 
being  second  in  command;  and  the  last  arose  from  the 

Vol.  II.  2  C 


202  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

increase  of  difficulty  in  movement,  as  well  as  in  the 
procurement  of  necessary  food  for  man  and  horse; 
which,  like  the  first,  invited  withdraw  from  further 
pursuit  at  present;  turning  his  attention  to  the  execu- 
tion of  such  plans,  as  would  manifest  to  the  inhabitants 
their  defenceless  condition,  and  inflame  their  passions 
against  those  entrusted  with  their  safety,  who  had 
thus  abandoned  them  to  the  enemy. 

Although  the  course  adopted  by  the  British  gene- 
ral varied  materially  from  that  which  a  just  estimate 
of  the  conjuncture  and  of  his  own  superiority  seemed 
to  dictate,  yet  it  was  supported  by  cogent  consi- 
derations. 

Cornwallis  might  have  pursued  his  flying  enemy 
with  increased  vigor,  as  has  been  before  explained; 
and  this  he  ought  to  have  done,  especially  after  being 
informed  by  Tarleton  of  the  effect  of  his  approach. 
Pressing  La  Fayette  by  forced  marches,  his  two  thou- 
sand mounted  veterans  must  have  overtaken  him  be- 
fore Wayne  joined;  and  in  the  attempt  to  overtake, 
by  understanding  the  situation  of  Wayne,  it  is  possi- 
sible  he  might  have  so  operated  on  La  Fayette's  anx- 
iety to  avoid  battle,  (by  adhering  to  the  intermedi- 
ate route  between  Fayette  and  Wayne)  as  to  have  in- 
duced the  former  to  fall  off  to  his  left,  placing  himself 
behind  the  little  mountains  of  Orange  county,  and  yield- 
ing up  as  well  his  junction  with  Wayne,  as  Wayne  and 
his  detachment.  This  heavy  sacrifice  would  have  been 
justified  by  the  consequent  salvation  of  the  army  of 
La  Fayette.  But  should  La  Fayette's  judgment  and  in- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    203 

telligence  have  enabled  him  to  avoid  the  keen  pursuit, 
and  to  have  made  good  his  junction  with  Wayne,  his 
united  force  was  still  so  inadequate,  that  he  must  per- 
severe in  retreat,  when  that  operation  would  not  only 
be  rendered  more  difficult  than  before  from  his  aug- 
mentation in  force,  but  from  the  peculiar  character  as 
well  of  his  brave  second  as  of  the  brave  corps  under 
his  command. 

Wayne  had  a  constitutional  attachment  to  the  deci- 
sion of  the  sword,  and  this  cast  of  character  had  ac- 
quired strength  from  indulgence,  as  well  as  from  the 
native  temper  of  the  troops  he  commanded.  They 
were  known  by  the  designation  of  the  line  of  Pennsyl- 
vania; whereas  they  might  have  been  with  more  pro- 
priety called  the  line  of  Ireland. 

Bold  and  daring,  they  were  impatient  and  refractory; 
and  would  always  prefer  an  appeal  to  the  bayonet,  to  a 
toilsome  march. 

Restless  under  the  want  of  food  and  whiskey;  ad- 
verse to  absence  from  their  baggage;  and  attached  to 
the  pleasures  of  the  table;  Wayne  and  his  brigade 
were  more  encumbered  with  wagons  than  any  equal 
portion  of  the  army. 

The  general  and  his  soldiers  were  singularly  fitted 
for  close  and  stubborn  action,  hand  to  hand,  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  army;  but  very  little  adapted  to  the  prompt 
and  toilsome  service  to  which  La  Fayette  was  and 
must  be  exposed,  so  long  as  the  British  general  con- 
tinued to  press  him. 

Cornwallis  therefore  did  not  miscalculate  when  he 


204  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

presumed  that  the  junction  of  Wayne  would  increase, 
rather  thun  diminish,  his  chance  of  bringing  his  anta- 
gonist to  action. 

Had  the  British  general  pressed  forward,  determin- 
ing never  to  stop  until  he  forced  his  enemy  to  the 
last  appeal,  La  Fayette  or  Wayne  must  have  fallen  if 
severed  from  each  other;  and  if  united  both  might 
have  been  destroyed.  The  Rappahannoc  lay  in  their 
rear:  this  river  must  be  passed,  and  was  in  various 
points  fordable  unless  swelled  by  fall  of  rain.  If  the 
American  army  made  good  its  retreat  over  the  Rap- 
pahannoc, it  never  could  reach  the  Potomac  without  a 
blow;  and  that  blow,  from  the  enemy's  vast  superiority 
of  horse,  must  have  been  fatal. 

The  destruction  of  La  Fayette  being  accomplished, 
the  British  general  had  only  to  take  post  on  the 
heights  above  Stafford  court-house,  with  his  left 
resting  on  the  village  of  Falmouth,  to  have  secured 
all  the  plentiful  country  in  his  rear  between  the  two 
rivers,  as  well  as  that  on  the  southern  margin  of  the 
Rappahannoc;  and  to  have  established  a  convenient 
communication  with  such  portion  of  his  fleet  as  he 
might  require  to  be  sent  up  the  Potomac. 

This  course  of  operations  was  however  happily 
omitted,  and  another  was  adopted,  very  unlike  the 
adventurous  and  decisive  policy  which  had  hereto- 
fore uniformly  distinguished  lord  Cornwallis. 

It  appears  as  if  sir  Henry  Clinton  had  contemplated 
a  move  of  the  Virginia  army  to  the  head  of  the  Ches- 
apeak,  to  which,  it  seems,  he  was  encouraged  by  a 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    205 

confidence  that  in  Maryland,  in  Pennsylvania,  and  in  a 
portion  of  Virginia  on  the  upper  Potomac,  he  should 
find  a  large  body  of  determined  friends. 

The  evidence  which  supported  such  conclusion  re- 
mains unascertained.  As  far  as  American  information 
can  be  relied  upon,  we  may  venture  to  conclude  that 
the  British  commander  in  chief  was  very  much  mis- 
informed. Some  trifling  districts  in  parts  of  Maryland, 
and  a  small  portion  of  the  county  of  Hampshire  in 
Virginia,  was  believed  to  be  well  affected  to  Great  Bri- 
tain; but  if  all  the  disaffected  in  both  states  had  been 
united  in  any  one  spot  they  would  have  presented  but 
an  inconsiderable  allurement  to  the  formation  of  a  plan 
like  that  supposed  to  be  entertained  by  sir  Henry 
Clinton. 

Whatever  might  have  been  the  British  general's 
intelligence  and  views,  it  is  very  evident,  from  his 
letters  to  lord  Cornwallis,  that  he  inclined  very  much 
to  hold  his  lordship  near  to  Hampton  Roads,  for  the 
protection  of  such  of  the  British  navy  as  should  be 
employed  within  the  capes  of  Virginia,  and  with  the 
deisgn  of  pushing  solid  operations  at  the  head  of  the 
Chesapeak,  as  soon  as  every  apprehension  of  inter- 
ruption from  the  French  navy  should  cease. 

Considerations  drawn  from  due  respect  to  the  plan 
of  his  chief  no  doubt  contributed  to  turn  lord  Corn- 
wallis from  the  splendid  prospect  before  him. 

The  British  general  having  decided  on  his  course 
made  two  considerable  detachments  from  his  army- 
while  encamped  in  the  county  of  Hanover,  for  the 


206  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

purpose  of  destroying  our  magazines  at  the  Point 
of  Fork,*  under  the  protection  of  baron  Steuben  with 
the  raw  levys  under  him,  and  of  seizing  the  governor 
and  the  members  of  the  general  assembly  of  the  com- 
monwealth convened  at  Charlotteville,  a  small  town  on 
the  western  side  of  the  Rivannah,  the  northern  branch 
of  James  river. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Simcoe  commanded  one  of  these 
detachments,  composed  of  the  Queen's  rangers  (horse 
and  foot)  and  the  yagers,  amounting  to  five  hundred 
men;  while  the  other,  consisting  of  the  legion  and  one 
company  of  the  twenty-third  regiment,  was  placed 
under  the  orders  of  lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton. 

Simcoe  was  directed  to  fall  upon  the  baron  if  prac- 
ticable; at  all  events  to  force  him  across  the  Fluvannah, 
the  southern  branch  of  James  river,  and  to  destroy  our 
magazines;  while  Tarleton  was  charged  with  the  in- 
terception of  the  governor  and  general  assembly,  and 
the  destruction  of  all  military  stores  and  other  resour- 
ces necessary  for  the  maintenance  of  the  war  on  his 
route. 

These  enterprising  officers  took  their  parts  with 
their  accustomed  vigor. 

Recrossing  the  North  and  South  Anna  branch  of  the 
Pamunkey,  Simcoe  proceeded  on  the  direct  route  to 
the  Point  of  Fork,  and  Tarleton  moved  on  the  road 
to  Louisa  court-house. 

*  The  Point  of  Fork  is  the  tongue  of  land  made  by  the  Rivan- 
nah and  Fluvannah  rivers  at  their  confluence,  when  the  united 
streams  take  the  name  of  James  river. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   207 

Cornwallis,  with  the  main  body,  followed  on  the 
route  of  Simcoe. 

The  former  officer  conducted  his  march  with  the 
utmost  secrecy;  and,  by  detaining  as  prisoners  all 
whom  he  overtook,  he  concealed  his  advance  from 
the  baron.  Although  unapprised  of  the  intended  real 
attack  upon  his  post,  Steuben  became  acquainted 
with  the  movement  of  Tarleton.  In  consequence  of 
this  information  the  baron  engaged  with  diligence  in 
removing  our  stores  of  every  sort  to  the  southern 
banks  of  the  Fluvannah;  which  being  done,  he  passed 
the  river  with  his  corps,  carrying  all  the  boats  to  the 
south  side  thereof.  Simcoe  reached  the  Point  of  Fork 
about  the  conclusion  of  the  baron's  passage  over  the 
river,  and  captured  a  few  of  our  troops  waiting  for  the 
return  of  some  of  the  boats.  Chagrined  at  this  disap- 
pointment, the  British  commander  determined  to  re- 
cover by  stratagem  what  he  had  lost  by  his  enemy's 
foresight.  He  encamped  on  the  heights  opposite  to 
our  camp,  and  by  the  number  of  his  fires  suggested 
to  the  baron  the  probability  that  the  whole  British 
army  was  only  divided  from  him  by  the  river.  Thus 
impressed,  and  knowing  that  the  corps  of  Tarleton 
was  on  his  left,  Steuben  believed  himself  to  be  in 
imminent  danger,  and  decided  on  saving  his  corps  by 
the  sacrifice  of  his  stores.  During  the  night  the  baron 
drew  off,  and,  marching  diligently,  placed  himself 
thirty  miles  from  his  foe.  As  soon  as  Simcoe  perceiv- 
ed the  next  morning  that  the  baron  had  decamped,  he 
detached  captain  Stevenson  with  a  section  of  light  in- 


208  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

fantry  and  cornet  Wolsey  with  four  dragoons  across  the 
river  in  canoes:  the  first  to  destroy  our  stores,  and  the 
second,  by  mounting  his  dragoons  on  such  horses  as  he 
could  procure,  to  patrole  some  miles  on  the  route  of  the 
baron  to  preserve  the  appearance  of  continuation  of 
pursuit.  Wolsey's  advance  had  the  desired  effect.  One 
of  the  baron's  exploring  parties  ft  11  in  with  Wolsey, 
and  presuming  that  he  was  the  precursor  to  the  light 
corps,  retired  precipitately  to  the  baron  with  informa- 
tion of  the  occurrence.  Our  corps  was  immediately 
put  in  motion,  and  retired  still  further  from  the  river. 
Nor  would  the  baron  have  halted  until  he  reached 
general  Greene,  but  for  orders  from  Greene  directing 
him  to  return  to  Fayette.  Most  of  the  arms  found  were 
muskets  out  of  repair:  they  were  however  destro}  ed, 
as  were  the  other  military  stores,  except  some  brass 
cannon  and  mortars,  which  were  mounted  on  carriages 
and  conveyed  to  the  British  headquarters. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton  leaving  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Louisa  court-house  about  two  in  the  morning, 
having  rested  his  corps  only  three  hours,  pursued  his 
march  with  vigor. 

Unluckily  for  Greene's  distressed  army,  Tarleton 
overtook  twelve  wagons  laden  with  clothing,  under  a 
weak  guard,  proceeding  south.  These  were  instantly 
possessed,  and  burnt.  The  British  lieutenant  colonel, 
knowing  that  his  success  depended  on  his  activity, 
continued  his  march  with  diligence;  but  hearing  that 
some  of  our  influential  citizens, — refugees  from  the 
lower  country, — resided  at  Dr.  Walker's,  and  at  Mr. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    209 

John  Walker's,  whose  houses  were  near  his  route,  he 
injudiciously  determined  to  spare  the  time  necessary 
for  the  capture  of  all  who  might  be  found  at  the  two 
houses.  Detaching  captain  Kinlock  with  one  troop  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  those  at  Mr.  John  Walker's, 
he  went  himself  to  the  doctor's,  where  he  found  Mr. 
John  Simms,  of  Hanover,  brother  to  Patrick  Henry,  a 
member  of  the  senate,  with  other  gentlemen. 

Captain  Kinlock  was  equally  successful.*  He  sur- 
prised and  took  three  of  our  citizens, — Francis  Kin- 
lock, a  member  of  congress  from  South  Carolina,  and 
William  and  Robert  Nelson,  brothers  to  general  Nel- 
son, all  young  and  active,-  and  who  suspecting  the  ap- 
proach of  parties  of  the  enemy  had  taken  measures  for 
their  safety,  which  by  the  address  and  rapid  advance 
of  the  British  captain  were  rendered  unavailing.  This 
waste  of  time  saved  the  members  of  the  assembly. 
Before  the  British  cavalry  reached  Walker's,  Mr. 
Jouitte,  a  private  gentleman,  luckily  descried  them; 
and,  much  to  his  credit,  hastened  by  a  disused  road  to 
Charlotte ville  to  alarm  the  general  assembly,  believing 
their  capture  to  be  the  enemy's  object. 

Tarleton  spent  some  time  in  resting  his  horses,  and 
in  paroling  such  of  his  prisoners  as  he  chose  to  indulge 
with  their  paroles.    Then  resuming  his  march,  he  ad- 

*  This  officer  was  a  near  relation  to  Francis  Kinlock,  member 
of  congress.  When  he  left  England  for  America  he  told  their 
common  relations,  that  he  should  certainly  capture  his  cousin? 
which  prediction  was  now  verified,  improbable  as  it  was. 
Vol.  II.  2D 


210  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

vanced  with  ardor  upon  Charlotteville;  not  doubting, 
as  he  had  marched  seventy  miles  in  twenty-four  hours, 
that  his  success  would  be  complete. 

Nor  could  he  have  been  disappointed,  had  he  not 
halted  at  Walker's:  for  active  and  anxious  as  was  Mr. 
Jouitte  to  outstrip  the  enemy,  he  would  probably  have 
failed  but  for  Tarleton's  occupation  with  a  secondary 
object;  or  even  if  he  had  been  so  fortunate  as  to  have 
preceded  the  enemy,  the  few  minutes'  notice  would 
have  been  insufficient  to  secure  a  general  escape. 

As  soon  as  the  British  van  reached  the  Rivanna,  it 
pressed  forward  in  full  charge  through  the  river,  fol- 
lowed by  the  main  body.  A  small  guard  posted  on 
the  western  bank  was  overpowered,  and  the  enemy 
with  concurring  celerity  fell  upon  the  town.  Jouitte 
had  previously  arrived,  and  the  assembly  adjourning 
immediately,  its  members  hastened  away.  A  few  of 
these  gentlemen  were  nevertheless  taken,  as  were  se- 
veral officers  and  soldiers.  All  our  stores  at  this  place, 
consisting  of  four  hundred  pounds  of  powder,  one 
thousand  stand  of  arms  (manufactured  in  the  armory 
near  Falmouth),  a  quantity  of  tobacco,  and  some 
clothing  provided  for  the  Southern  army,  were  de- 
stroyed. The  British  troops  taken  at  Saratoga  were 
cantoned  in  the  neighborhood  of  this  village,  and 
many  of  the  soldiers  were  permitted  to  labor  for  their 
own  emolument  in  the  vicinity  of  the  barracks.  Of 
these  twenty  joined  the  British  lieutenant  colonel  in 
the  few  hours  he  continued  in  Charlotteville. 

The  attempt  to  take  the  governor,  who  was  at  his 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   211 

house  in  sight  of  the  town,  failed.  Apprised  of  the 
approach  of  the  dragoons,  he  very  readily  saved 
himself  by  taking  shelter  in  an  adjacent  spar  of  the 
mountains. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton  leaving  Charlotteville 
in  the  afternoon,  proceeded  down  the  Rivanna  towards 
the  Point  of  Fork,  in  the  neighborhood  whereof  lord 
Cornwallis  had  arrived  with  the  main  body. 

La  Fayette  did  not  intermit  retreat  until  he  passed 
the  Rapidan,  the  southern  branch  of  the  Rappahannoc. 
In  a  few  days  afterwards  the  corps  under  Wayne,  be- 
tween eight  and  nine  hundred  strong,  joined  him. 

Soon  after  Tarleton's  return  to  lord  Cornwallis,  his 
corps  was  reinforced  by  the  seventy-sixth  regiment, 
commanded  by  major  Needham,  and  the  lieutenant 
colonel  received  orders  to  mount  the  seventy-sixth, 
and  to  prepare  for  another  expedition.*  By  reference 

*  Copy  of  a  letter  from  earl  Cornwallis  to  lieutenant  colonel 
Tarleton. 

Jefierson's  Plantation,  June  9th,  1781. 
Dear  Tarleton, 

You  will  proceed  with  the  detachment  of  cavalry  and  mount- 
ed infantry  under  your  command,  before  day  break  to-morrow 
morning,  to  Old  Albemarle  court-house,  where  you  will  destroy 
any  stores  you  may  find.  If  you  then  hear  of  no  other  stores  of 
any  consequence  on  this  side  the  Fluvannah,  and  the  baron 
Steuben  should  be  still  on  the  other  side,  you  will  cross  that 
river,  and  make  it  your  principal  object  to  strike  a  blow  at  baron 
Steuben;  as  the  corps  under  his  command  consists  of  part  of  the 
new  leveys,  and  is  the  foundation  on  which  the  body  of  the 
eighteen  month's  men,  lately  voted  by  the  province  of  Virginia, 
will  be  formed.  It  will  be  of  the  utmost  importance  to  defeat 


212  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

to  lord  Cornwallis's  instructions,  published  in  Tarle- 
ton's  Campaigns,  the  destruction  of  our  stores  at 
Albemarle  Old  Court-house,  the  pursuit  and  disper- 
sion of  the  corps  of  Steuben,  and  the  interception  of 
some  light  troops  believed  to  be  on  their  march  from 
the  army  of  Greene  to  reinforce  La  Fayette,  constituted 

and  destroy  it:  I  shall,  therefore,  wish  you  to  take  every  means 
in  your  power  of  effecting  this  service,  if  you  should  see  a  pro- 
bability of  success.  I  likewise  recommend  it  to  you  to  destroy 
all  the  enemy's  stores  and  tobacco  between  James  river  and  the 
Dan;  and  if  there  should  be  a  quantity  of  provisions  or  corn  col- 
lected at  a  private  house,  I  would  have  you  destroy  it,  even 
although  there  should  be  no  proof  of  its  being  intended  for  the 
public  service,  leaving  enough  for  the  support  of  the  family;  as 
there  is  the  greatest  reason  to  apprehend  that  such  provisions 
will  be  ultimately  appropriated  by  the  enemy  to  the  use  of  general 
Greene's  army,  which,  from  the  present  state  of  the  Carolinas, 
must  depend  on  this  province  for  its  supplies. 

I  shall  proceed  by  easy  marches  to  Richmond,  and  it  will  pro- 
bably be  a  business  of  eight  or  nine  days  from  this  time  before  I 
can  get  up  my  boats  to  that  place  to  receive  you;  so  that  you  may 
very  well  employ  that  time  on  your  expedition.  As  it  is  very 
probable  that  some  of  the  light  troops  of  general  Greene's  army 
may  be  on  their  march  to  this  country,  you  will  do  all  you  can  to 
procure  intelligence  of  their  route.  I  need  not  tell  you  of  what 
importance  it  will  be  to  intercept  them,  or  any  prisoners  of  ours 
from  South  Carolina. 

I  would  have  all  persons  of  consequence,  either  civil  or  mili- 
tary, brought  to  me  before  they  are  paroled.  Most  sincerely 
wishing  you  success,  and  placing  the  greatest  confidence  in  your 
zeal  and  abilities,  1  am,  with  great  truth  and  regard, 

Dear  Tar le ton, 

Most  faithfully  yours, 

CORNWALLIS 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    213 

the  objects  of  the  intended  enterprise.  Lieutenant  co- 
lonel Tarleton  was  directed,  after  completing  his  ex- 
pedition, to  take  the  route  on  the  south  side  of  James 
river  to  the  town  of  Manchester,  where  boats  would 
be  provided  to  transport  himself  and  corps  across  the 
river  to  Richmond,  to  which  place  the  British  general 
intended  to  proceed. 

La  Fayette,  having  effected  his  junction  with  Wayne, 
lost  no  time  in  recrossing  the  Rapidan,  and  advancing 
toward  his  enemy — of  whose  proceedings  he  was  re- 
gularly advised,  and  whose  present  position  was  ascer- 
tained. Penetrating  into  the  most  prominent  of  his 
lordship's  designs,  the  American  general  took  the 
resolution  of  interrupting  their  execution.  With  this 
view  he  moved  towards  Albermarle  Old  Court-house, 
holding  himself  convenient  to  the  upper  country.  Corn- 
wallis,  apprized  as  well  of  the  junction  of  Wayne  as  of 
the  direction  of  La  Fayette's  course  of  march,  did  not 
doubt  but  that  the  preservation  of  the  stores  at  Alber- 
marle Old  Court-house,  and  the  safety  of  the  corps  of 
Steuben,  alike  engaged  his  adversary's  intention.  Wil- 
ling that  his  antagonist  should  proceed  on  his  experi- 
ment, the  British  general  held  back  lieutenant  colonel 
Tarleto%  who  was  now  ready  for  the  intended  expe- 
dition, and  continued  in  his  position  at  Jefferson's 
plantation,  convenient  to  his  adversary's  presumed 
route,  with  a  detachment  to  fail  upon  him  in  his 
progress.  La  Fayette's  discernment  and  activity 
baffled  completely  these  views.  Turning  into  a  dif- 
ficult and  unfrequented  road,  which  not  only  shorten- 


214  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

ed  his  distance  to  the  point  in  view,  but  threw  him 
further  from  the  enemy,  he  crossed  the  Rivannah 
before  the  British  general  was  acquainted  with  his 
having  reached  it;  and  taking  post  behind  Mechunck's 
creek,  sat  down  on  the  direct  route  from  the  British 
camp  to  Albermarle  Old  Court-house.  Here  he  was 
reinforced  by  colonel  Clarke,  one  of  the  heroes  of  King's 
Mountain,  with  his  brave  rifle  militia.  The  expedi- 
tion, for  the  execution  of  which  Tarleton  was  prepared, 
was  relinquished;  and  the  British  general,  drawing  in 
his  van  corps,  fell  back  on  the  ensuing  day  towards 
Richmond. 

Notwithstanding  the  junction  of  Wayne,  and  the 
succeeding  reinforcement  under  Clarke,  the  British 
general  continued  to  possess  a  decided  superiority  of 
force,  not  only  in  quality  but  in  number.  Steuben 
was  still  at  a  distance  from  La  Fayette,  and  the  de- 
struction of  the  last  would  not  fail  in  being  followed 
by  that  of  the  first. 

What  reasons  could  operate  on  lord  Cornwallis  to 
induce  him  now  to  retire,  when  so  many  considerations 
urged  his  advance,  remain  unascertained.  Certainly 
he  must  have  acted  in  obedience  to  orders  which  have 
never  yet  been  fully  promulgated. 

He  was  the  same  general  who  had  attacked  Gates 
at  the  head  of  a  very  superior  army,  and  who  after- 
wards fought  Greene,  though  nearly  double  his  num- 
ber. In  both  instances  he  risked  his  own  destruction, 
and,  although  victorious  in  the  issue,  was  upon  both 
occasions  on  the  threshold  of  ruin. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   215 

Now  when  victory  was  certain,  when  serious  injury 
to  himself  was  impracticable,  and  when  his  vast  power 
in  horse  assured  to  him  the  complete  improvement  of 
success,  he  resigns  his  spirit  of  enterprise,  and  permits 
his  inferior  foe  to  enjoy  undisturbed  repose. 

This  change  in  conduct  must  be  ascribed  to  the 
interference  of  his  superior;  and  Cornwallis'  letter  of 
the  26th  of  May,*  to  the  British  commander  in  chief, 
satisfactorily  evinces  that  his  present  operations  were 

*  Copy  of  a  letter  from  earl  Cornwallis  to  sir  Henry  Clinton. 

Byrd's  plantation,  James  river,  26th  May,  1781. 

The  arrival  of  the  reinforcement  has  made  me  easy  about 
Portsmouth  for  the  present.  I  have  sent  general  Leslie  thither 
■with  the  seventeenth  regiment  and  the  two  battalions  of  Anspach, 
keeping  the  forty-third  with  the  army.  I  shall  now  proceed  to 
dislodge  La  Fayette  from  Richmond;  and,  with  my  light  troops, 
to  destroy  any  magazines  or  stores  in  the  neighborhood,  which 
may  have  been  collected  either  for  his  use  or  general  Greene's 
army.  From  thence  I  propose  to  move  to  the  neck  of  Williams- 
burgh,  which  is  represented  as  healthy,  and  where  some  subsist- 
ence may  be  procured;  and  keep  myself  unengaged  from  opera- 
tions which  might  interfere  with  your  plan  for  the  campaign, 
until  I  have  the  satisfaction  of  hearing  from  you.  I  hope  I  shall 
then  have  an  opportunity  to  receive  better  information  than  has 
hitherto  been  in  my  power  to  procure,  relative  to  a  proper  har- 
bor and  place  of  arms.  At  present  I  am  inclined  to  think  well  of 
York.  The  objections  to  Portsmouth  are,  that  it  cannot  be  made 
strong,  without  an  army  to  defend  it;  that  it  is  remarkably  un- 
healthy, and  can  give  no  protection  to  a  ship  of  the  line.  Wayne 
has  not  yet  joined  La  Fayette;  nor  can  I  positively  learn  where 
he  is,  nor  what  is  his  force.  Greene's  cavalry  are  said  to  be  com- 
ing this  way;  but  I  have  no  certain  accounts  of  it. 


216  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

intended  to  be  extremely  limited,  being  subordinate 
to  some  grand  design  conceived  by  sir  Henry  Clinton 
to  be  executed  within  the  year.  The  retreat  of  the 
British  general  was  soon  known  in  the  American 
camp,  and  La  Fayette  put  his  army  in  motion.  Pleas- 
ing as  was  this  unexpected  turn  in  the  enemy's  course, 
the  American  general  continued  to  follow  with  undi- 
minished circumspection,  holding  his  main  body  be- 
tween twenty  and  thirty  miles  in  the  rear  of  the  foe, 
and  exploring  his  front  and  flanks  with  his  cavalry  and 
riflemen.  Lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton,  with  the  legion 
strengthened  by  the  seventy  sixth  regiment,  was  charg- 
ed with  the  rear  and  one  flank  of  the  retiring  army, 
while  its  other  flank  was  committed  to  Simcoe  at  the 
head  of  the  queen's  rangers. 

Cornwallis,  secure  from  insult  or  surprise,  had  the 
force  and  views  of  La  Fayette  encouraged  such  at- 
tempts, proceeded  by  slow  and  convenient  marches, 
without  making  a  single  effort  to  strike  his  following 
enemy.  On  the  15th  of  June  the  British  general  reach- 
ed Westham,  and  on  the  subsequent  day  he  entered 
Richmond,  where  he  halted. 

La  Fayette,  observing  his  usual  distance,  continued 
to  follow  in  the  British  rear;  and,  during  the  enemy's 
halt  in  Richmond,  took  a  strong  position  on  Allen's 
creek,  in  the  county  of  Goochland,  twenty-two  miles 
from  Cornwallis,  detaching  his  light  troops  close  to 
the  enemy's  advanced  posts — the  one  at  Westham, 
commanded  by  Simcoe,  and  the  other  at  the  Meadow 
Bridge,  under  the  orders  of  lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton. 


Southern  Department  of  the  Uriited  States.    217 

On  the  18th,  Tarleton  believing,  from  the  intelligence 
he  had  acquired,  the  position  of  the  corps  under  bri- 
gadier Muhlenbergh — posted  some  little  distance  in 
front  and  to  the  left  of  the  main  body — vulnerable, 
made  a  sudden  movement  from  the  Meadow  Bridge 
to  beat  up  his  quarters.  But,  secret  as  was  his  advance, 
the  brigadier  gained  timely  information  of  his  ap- 
proach; and,  falling  back  upon  La  Fayette,  met  a  de- 
tachment under  general  Wayne  sent  to  his  support. 
As  soon  as  Tarleton  discovered  the  movement  of 
Muhlenbergh,  he  returned  to  his  post.  While  en- 
gaged in  this  operation,  lieutenant  colonel  Mercer 
with  his  troop  of  horse  passed  in  the  enemy's  rear,  and 
reconnoitred,  by  order  of  his  general,  the  position  of 
lord  Cornwallis  encamped  on  the  heights  of  Richmond. 
On  his  return  Mercer  fell  in  with  one  of  Tarleton's 
patroles  of  horse,  who  were  pursued,  taken,  and  safely 
conveyed  to  the  American  camp. 

This  was  the  only  advantage  of  the  sort  as  yet 
obtained  by  our  army  during  the  preceding  active 
operations. 

The  British  general  halted  but  a  few  days  in  Rich- 
mond, and  resumed  his  march  for  Portsmouth,  in 
pursuance  of  sir  Henry  Clinton's  instructions,  as  are 
plainly  to  be  inferred  from  the  letter  of  lord  Cornwal- 
lis of  the  26th  of  May.  Taking  the  direct  route  to 
Williamsburgh,  and  consulting  as  heretofore,  by  his 
mode  of  march,  the  ease  of  his  troops,  he  entered 
Williamsburgh  on  the  2£th. 

Vol.  II.  2E 


218  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

La  Fayette  while  in  his  camp  above  Richmond  was 
joined  by  the  baron  with  his  corps  of  levys,  about 
six  hundred.  This  accession  of  force  increased  his 
army  to  between  four  and  five  thousand,  of  which 
two  thousand  one  hundred  were  regulars,  and  fifteen 
hundred  of  these  were  veteran  troops.  The  residue 
were  composed  of  different  corps  of  militia,  better 
fitted  for  service  than  usual,  as  most  of  the  higher 
grades  were  filled  by  continental  officers.  Still  we 
were  inferior  in  numbers  to  the  enemy  by  a  third, 
and  very  deficient  in  cavalry,  in  which  the  British 
general  continued  to  excel.  Informed  of  Cornwallis' 
resumption  of  retreat,  La  Fayette  followed,  and  passing 
through  Richmond  reached  on  the  third  evening  New 
Kent  court-house,  from  which  place  the  British  general 
had  moved  in  the  morning  of  the  previous  day. 

From  hence  the  American  headquarters  were 
transferred  to  Tyre's  plantation,  twenty  miles  from 
Williamsburgh. 

During  this  march  no  attempt  was  made  by  either 
general  to  disturb  the  other;  a  game  of  all  others  the 
most  to  be  desired  by  La  Fayette,  as  the  campaign 
was  wasting  without  improvement  by  his  superior 
foe.  While  in  his  camp  before  Williamsburgh,  the 
British  general  learnt  that  we  had  some  boats  and 
stores  on  the  Chickahominy  river.  Hither  he  detach- 
ed lieutenant  colonel  Simcoe  with  his  corps  and  the 
yagers  to  destroy  them.  This  service  was  promptly 
performed:  but  the  American  general,  having  disco- 
vered from  his  exploring  parties  the  march  of  Simcoe, 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    219 

detached  on  the  26th  lieutenant  colonel  Butler,  of  the 
Pennsylvania  line,  the  renowned  second  and  rival  of 
Morgan  at  Saratoga.  The  rifle  corps  under  the  majors 
Call  and  Willis,  and  the  cavalry,  which  did  not  in 
the  whole  exceed  one  hundred  and  twenty  effec- 
tives, composed  Butler's  van.  Major  M'Pherson,  of 
Pennsylvania,  led  this  corps;  and  having  mounted 
some  infantry  behind  the  remnant  of  Armand's  dra- 
goons, overtook  Simcoe  on  his  return  near  Spencer's 
plantation,  six  or  seven  miles  above  Williamsburgh. 
The  suddenness  of  M'Pherson's  attack  threw  the 
yagers  into  confusion;  but  the  Queen's  rangers 
quickly  deployed,  and  advanced  to  the  support  of 
the  yagers. 

Call  and  Willis  had  now  got  up  to  M'Pherson 
with  their  riflemen,  and  the  action  became  fierce. 
Lieutenant  Lollar,  at  the  head  of  a  squadron  of  Sim- 
coe's  hussars,  fell  on  Armand's  remnant  and  drove  it 
out  of  line,  making  lieutenant  Breso  and  some  privates 
prisoners.  Following  his  blow,  Lollar  turned  upon 
our  riflemen,  then  pressing  upon  the  Queen's  rangers, 
and  at  the  same  moment' captain  Ogilvie,  of  the  legion 
cavalry, — who  had  been  sent  that  morning  from  camp 
with  one  troop  for  the  collection  of  forage, — acci- 
dentally appeared  on  our  left  flank.  The  rifle  corps 
fell  back  in  confusion  upon  Butler,  drawn  up  in  the 
rear  with  his  continentals.  Satisfied  with  the  repulse 
of  the  assailing  troops,  lieutenant  colonel  Simcoe  be- 
gan to  retire;  nor  was  he  further  pressed  by  Butler, 
as  Cornwallis  had   moved  with  the  main  body  on 


220  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

hearing  the  first  fire,  to  shield  Simcoe.  La  Fayette 
claimed  the  advantage  in  this  rencontre,  and  states  his 
enemy's  loss  to  be  sixty  killed  and  one  hundred 
wounded;  whereas  lord  Cornwallis  acknowledges  the 
loss  of  only  three  officers  and  thirty  privates,  killed 
and  wounded.  Among  the  former  was  lieutenant  Jones, 
a  much  admired  young  officer. 

What  was  our  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  does  not 
appear  in  the  report  of  La  Fayette;  but  three  officers 
and  twenty-eight  privates  were  taken. 

Here  was  a  second  opportunity  presented  of  strik- 
ing our  army,  and  like  the  first  it  was  not  seized. 
Nothing  was  more  feasible,  as  Cornwallis  had  moved 
his  whole  force,  than  for  him  to  have  turned  Simcoe's 
horse  and  foot  upon  Butler.  Following  close  in  the 
rear,  La  Fayette  must  have  sacrificed  this  corps,  or 
risked  battle.  The  latter  would  have  taken  place,  as 
Wayne  had  moved  to  support  Butler,  and  would  have 
reached  our  advance  about  the  time  of  the  suggested 
movement  upon  our  light  corps. 

The  British  general  returned  to  Williamsburgh, 
preparing  for  his  passage  of  James  river;  and  La  Fay- 
ette resumed  his  position  at  Tyre's  plantation,  waiting 
the  motions  of  Cornwallis. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton,  from  the  moment  he  perused 
Washington's  letters,  imparting  to  Congress  the  re- 
sult of  his  conference  with  count  Rochambeau, 
(which  had  been  intercepted  by  one  of  the  British 
general's  parties,)  seems  to  have  been  persuaded  that 
a  formidable  combined  attack  upon  New  York  by  the 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    221 

allies  was  not  only  contemplated,  but  certain;  and  as 
early  as  the  11th  of  June,  he  communicated  his  con- 
viction of  such  a  measure  to  earl  Cornwallis,  and  re- 
quired him  to  occupy  some  salubrious  situation  about 
Williamsburgh  or  York  Town,  calculated  for  the  de- 
fensive, and  convenient  to  desultory  maritime  expedi- 
tions up  the  rivers  of  Virginia,  for  the  destruction  of 
our  remaining  stores  and  resources.  As  soon  as  this 
was  accomplished,  earl  Cornwwallis  was  ordered  to 
return  to  sir  Henry  the  Queen's  rangers,  the  remnant 
of  the  seventeenth  dragoons,  two  battalions  of  light 
infantry,  two  of  Anspach,  the  forty-third  and  seventy- 
sixth  or  eightieth  regiments. 

It  appears  that  subsequent  to  the  issue  of  this  order, 
the  British  commander  in  chief,*  availing  himself  of 
water  conveyance,  contemplated  striking  at  Philadel- 
phia with  the  corps  to  be  detached  by  Cornwallis,  as 
it  proceeded  to  New  York,  for  the  purpose  of  destroy- 
ing the  continental  supplies  collected  in  that  city. 

No  doubt  earl  Cornwallis,  feeling  himself  bound  to 
give  effect  to  his  general's  views,  did  not  risk  any 
operations  which  might  produce  delay  in  his  move- 
ment to  Portsmouth,  which  seems  to  have  been  the 
place  preferred  by  himself  for  the  embarkation  of  the 
troops  demanded;  whereas  sir  Henry  Clinton's  instruc- 
tions pointed  out  Williamsburgh  or  York  as  the  place 
of  arms  in  his  judgment  best  calculated  to  answer  the 
intended  purposes.  Certainly  lord  Cornwallis  might 

*  See  his  letter,  page  237. 


222  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

and  ought  to  have  adopted  the  plan  proposed  by  Clin- 
ton; as  it  was  very  easy  to  have  withdrawn  the  garri- 
son from  Portsmouth,  a  post  held  contrary  to  his 
lordship's  advice;  to  have  brought  it  up  to  him  either 
on  James  or  York  river,  and  in  the  same  transports  to 
have  forwarded  the  required  corps  to  New  York.  Nor 
would  this  operation  have  consumed  the  time  which 
his  passage  of  James  river  and  move  to  Portsmouth 
must  spend.  He  might  too  have  combined  with  this 
system  the  destruction  of  La  Fayette,  hitherto  omitted, 
and  required  from  him  by  the  most  powerful  consi- 
derations. 

Believing  the  course  originally  adopted  as  that  most 
likely  to  effect  with  celerity  the  object  of  the  com- 
mander in  chief,  Cornwallis,  after  some  deliberation 
as  to  its  change,  persevered. 

Halting  eight  or  nine  days  in  Williamsburgh,  his 
lordship  decamped  on  the  4th  of  July,  having,  after 
examining  the  river  at  Burwell's  ferry  and  James  City 
island,  decided  to  pass  it  at  the  latter  place.  On  the 
same  evening  he  reached  the  island,  and  the  British 
advance,  consisting  of  the  Queen's  rangers  under 
lieutenant  colonel  Simcoe,  passed  the  river.  On  the 
5th,  the  wheel  carriages  of  every  sort  were  transport- 
ed across;  as  were,  on  the  subsequent  day,  the  baggage 
and  bat  horses.  Cornwallis  meant  to  have  passed  with 
the  army  on  the  7th. 

La  Fayette  did  not  doubt  the  intention  of  his  adver- 
sary, and  was  much  inclined  to  fall  upon  his  rear  when 
a  major  part  of  the  army  should  have  passed  or  was 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   223 

passing  the  river.  To  enable  him  to  manage  this  deli- 
cate manoeuvre  with  accuracy  and  precision,  every 
effort  was  essayed  by  La  Fayette's  exploring  parties  to 
understand  distinctly  every  step  taken  by  his  lordship. 
Lieutenant  colonel  Mercer  being,  among  others,  em- 
ployed with  his  troop  of  dragoons  in  this  service,  made, 
during  the  night  of  the  3d,  a  circuitous  march,  and 
gained  by  the  dawn  of  day  the  right  flunk  of  the  ene- 
my. Mercer  discovered  that  the  British  general  had 
just  moved,  and  very  quickly  advised  his  commander 
of  the  event. 

La  Fayette  put  his  army  in  motion  on  the  same  af- 
ternoon, and  receding  from  his  former  caution,  sat 
down  on  the  evening  of  the  5th  within  eight  miles  of 
the  foe.  A  dangerous  adventure,  but  in  its  issue  safe, 
so  turned  was  Cornwallis  from  his  pristine  manner. 

On  the  morning  of  the  6th  the  American  general 
prepared  to  advance,  believing  that  the  hour  was  at 
hand  for  his  meditated  blow,  as  he  had  been  accurately 
informed  of  the  passage  of  troops  on  the  4th,  and  the 
continued  crossing  and  recrossing  of  the  boats  ever 
since. 

Mercer,  with  a  party  of  his  troop,  preceded  our 
army  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  intelligence;  and 
coming  suddenly  upon  the  mansion  of  Greenspring,* 
saw  a  negroe  with  a  knapsack  on  his  back,  by  whom 
he  was  told  that  lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton  quartered 
there,  and  was  in  the  spring-house  in  the  yard;  and 

*  The  seat  of  sir  William  Berkeley,  formerly  governor  of  Vir- 
ginia; and  afterwards  of  Philip  Ludwell,  one  of  the  king's  council. 


224  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

that  lord  Cornwallis  was  at  the  church,  not  more  than 
one  mile  in  front.  Satisfied,  with  what  he  had  snatched 
from  the  negroe,  as  well  of  the  danger  which  awaited 
his  party,  as  of  the  proximity  of  the  British  army, 
Mercer  turned  his  horse  to  retire;  when  he  found 
himself  nearly  closed  up  by  brick  walls  in  his  rear, 
and  at  the  same  time  saw  a  party  of  the  enemy's  dra- 
goons pressing  forward  to  intercept  him.  Changing 
his  course,  he  avoided  the  brick  obstruction,  and 
threw  himself  at  a  greater  distance  from  his  pursuers. 
Thus  he  happily  escaped,  and  in  a  few  minutes  rejoin- 
ed his  troop,  concealed  in  a  distant  wood; — whence  he 
repaired  toward  the  army,  to  communicate  the  intelli- 
gence to  the  general. 

About  eleven  o'clock  he  met  him  advancing  at  the 
head  of  his  troops,  prepared  for  battle,  and  sanguine 
in  the  expectation  that  he  should  get  up  in  time  to  fall 
upon  the  remains  of  the  enemy  on  this  side  of  the  river. 

The  intelligence  derived  from  Mercer  produced  a 
pause,  and  excited  doubts  as  to  the  conduct  to  be  pur- 
sued. At  length  La  Fayette  determined  to  proceed  as 
far  as  Greenspring,  the  place  which  Mercer  had  visit- 
ed in  the  morning,  and  where  he  acquired  the  infor- 
mation just  imparted. 

On  approaching  the  house  we  learned  that  the  ene- 
my had  moved  towards  the  island;  and  two  intelligent 
though  young  dragoons  now  rejoined,  who  had  been 
sent  to  the  river  with  glasses,  to  attend  to  the  passage 
of  the  enemy  across  it.*  The  report  of  these  faithful 

■  One  of  whom  was  Ludwell  Lee,  esq. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    225 

but  inexperienced  soldiers  concurred  in  supporting 
the  opinion  heretofore  entertained;  and  which,  though 
subdued  for  a  time  by  Mercer's  intelligence,  still  ex- 
isted. In  fact,  it  comported  with  the  inclination  of 
officers  and  soldiers;  and  brigadier  Wayne,  disquieted 
as  he  always  was  by  losing  a  chance  of  battle,  de- 
clared his  conviction  that  the  intelligence  received 
from  lieutenant  colonel  Mercer  applied  only  to  a  cover- 
ing party,  which  would  not  fail  to  escape  if  our  advance 
was  longer  delayed. 

The  American  commander,  indulging  his  desire  to 
finish  his  toilsome  and  cautious  operations  by  a  happy 
blow,  came  into  the  opinion  of  his  gallant  second, 
and  began  to  make  his  final  arrangements  for  close 
pursuit. 

The  British  general,  sage  and  experienced,  had  pre- 
sumed that  the  opportunity  which  his  crossing  of  James 
river  could  not  fail  to  present,  would  be  seized  by  his 
enemy  for  the  indulgence  of  that  ardor  natural  to  the 
season  of  youth,  and  which  the  enterprising  La  Fay- 
ette never  ceased  to  feel,  although  he  had  effectually 
controlled  it.  He  heard  with  pleasure  that  his  adversary 
was  drawing  near,  and  took  his  measures  to  encourage 
the  adventurous  spirit  which  seemed  now  to  sway  him, 
with  the  resolution  of  turning  it  to  his  advantage.  He 
held  his  troops  compact,  covering  as  little  ground  as 
possible  in  his  march  and  in  his  camp;  and  gave  or- 
ders for  his  piquets  to  fall  back  with  the  appearance 
of  alarm  and  confusion,  as  soon  as  they  should  be 
seriously  struck. 

Vol.  II.  2F 


226  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

The  ground  in  front  of  Greenspring,  where  by  this 
time  the  whole  American  army  had  arrived,  is  low, 
wet  and  sunken,  reclaimed  by  ditches  which  intersect 
it  in  various  directions.  This  sunken  ground  runs  pa- 
rallel with  the  house  for  a  considerable  distance  above 
and  below,  and  is  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide.  As 
soon  as  you  pass  through  it  you  enter  the  road  from 
Williamsburgh,  on  which  the  enemy  marched,  and 
which  runs  for  a  considerable  distance  parallel  with  the 
low  ground.  From  the  house  to  the  road,  across  the  low 
ground,  a  causeway  had  been  formed  by  the  proprie- 
tor of  Greenspring,  and  presented  the  only  practicable 
route  for  troops.  La  Fayette  must  pass  along  this 
causeway  on  his  advance  upon  the  island;  and  every 
step  he  proceeded  after  leaving  it,  put  him  more  and 
more  in  the  power  of  his  prepared  enemy. 

The  American  general,  by  design  probably,  did  not 
move  from  Greenspring  until  the  hour  of  three  in  the 
afternoon;  inasmuch  as  the  remaining  part  of  the  even- 
ing gave  sufficient  daylight  for  the  execution  of  his 
plan,  if  only  a  strong  covering  party  of  the  enemy 
should  be  found  on  this  side  of  the  river;  and  the 
quicker  darkness  approached  the  more  acceptable, 
should  he  stumble  upon  Cornwallis  and  his  army. 

The  rifle  corps  under  Call  and  Willis,  preceded  by 
a  patrole  of  dragoons,  formed  our  front,  and  after  cross- 
ing the  low  ground,  halted  in  a  wood  contiguous  to 
the  road.  The  cavalry  of  Armand  and  of  Mercer,  led 
by  major  M'Pherson,  followed  the  rifle  corps,  sup- 
ported by  the  continental  infantry  under  Wayne. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   227 

Steuben,  with  the  militia,  formed  the  reserve,  and 
continued  on  the  ground  at  Greenspring,  severed  from 
the  acting  corps  by  the  low  ground.  This  disposition 
manifests  that  La  Fayette  calculated  only  on  meeting 
with  a  covering  party  easy  of  conquest;'  as  otherwise 
he  would  never  have  interposed  the  difficult  defile* 
described  between  the  two  divisions  of  his  force. 

As  soon  as  the  column  reached  the  road,  the  rifle 
corps  were  thrown  upon  our  flanks,  and  the  horse  con- 
tinued to  advance  on  the  road. 

We  had  not  advanced  a  mile  before  our  van  patrole 
of  horse  received  a  desultory  fire  from  the  enemy's 
yagers,  and  fell  back  upon  M'Pherson.  This  officer 
communicated  the  occurrence  to  the  commander,  who 
answered  by  ordering  lieutenant  colonel  Mercer  and 
himself  to  leave  the  cavalry  and  to  take  charge  of  the 
rifle  corps.  Mercer  led  that  on  the  right,  and  M'Pher- 
son that  on  the  left  on  the  left  flank.  We  very  soon 
approached  the  enemy's  piquets,  which  were  briskly- 
attacked,  and  losing  some  of  their  men  killed,  wounded 
and  taken,  fell  back  in  confusion  upon  the  legion  horse, 
drawn  up  in  an  open  field  three  hundred  yards  behind 
the  front  piquets.  Our  cavalry  now  came  up;  that  of 


*  La  Fayette  moved  from  Greenspring  at  three;  and  so  much 
time  was  consumed  in  passing  this  defile,  that  his  main  body  did 
not  get  up  with  the  enemy,  encamped  not  more  than  one  mile 
and  a  half  distant,  until  near  sunset;  which  effect  shows,  in  a  mi- 
litary point  of  view,  the  disadvantages  eventually  accruing  from 
the  interposition  of  this  defile. 


22H  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Armand  joined  M'Pherson,  and  the  Virginia  troop 
joined  Mercer. 

Emboldened  by  their  successful  onset,  Mercer  and 
M'Pherson  continued  to  advance,  and  took  post  in  a 
ditch  under  cover  of  a  rail  fence.  From  hence  was 
plainly  discerned  a  line  of  infantry  posted  on  the 
flanks  of  the  horse.  Our  rifle  corps  recommenced  fire, 
and  were  soon  afterwards  joined  by  major  Gal  van, 
with  a  battalion  of  the  continental  infantry,  who  was 
followed  by  major  Willis,  of  Connecticut,  with  ano- 
ther battalion  of  infantry,  and  captain  Savage  with  two 
field  pieces.  Galvan,  Mercer  and  M'Pherson  main- 
tained the  conflict  with  spirit  against  the  enemy,  now 
advancing  in  body  under  lieutenant  colonel  Yorke, 
supported  by  three  pieces  of  artillery. 

The  conflict  was  keenly  maintained  for  some  mi- 
nutes, when  the  rifle  corps  broke.  Lieutenant  colonel 
Mercer,  having  his  horse  killed,  remounted  another, 
and  drawing  off  his  troop  of  dragoons,  fell  back  upon 
Wayne,  who  was  formed  in  close  order  in  the  adja- 
cent wood.  Galvan  and  Willis,  with  their  light  infan- 
fantry,  retired  soon  after  the  rifle  corps  dispersed; 
as  did  also  captain  Savage  with  our  two  pieces. 
Cornwallis  pressed  forward  in  two  lines,  his  right 
wing  under  lieutenant  colonel  Yorke,  pushing  the 
light  infantry,  while  his  left  under  lieutenant  colonel 
Dundas  advanced  upon  Wayne;  who  never  indisposed 
to  try  the  bayonet,  gave  orders  to  charge,  which, 
though  often  repeated,  was  from  the  thickness  of  the 
wood  and  his  own  close  order  unexecuted,  and  the 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    229 

battle  continued  warmly  maintained  by  a  close  and 
hot  fire.  La  Fayette  early  in  the  action  began  to  appre- 
hend that  the  expected  covering  party  would  turn  out 
to  be  the  British  army,  and  took  his  measures  to  as- 
certain the  fact.  He  became  soon  convinced  from  his 
own  examination  that  he  had  been  entirely  mistaken, 
and  immediately  hastened  to  draw  off  his  troops. 
Wayne  was  now  closely  engaged,  and  his  flanks  nearly 
enveloped.  He  was  ordered  to  fall  back  to  our  second 
line  of  continentals,  arrayed  a  half  a  mile  in  his  rear. 
This  was  instantly  executed  through  the  favour  of  a 
dark  night,  with  the  loss  of  our  two  field  pieces;  and 
Wayne  having  joined  the  second  line,  our  whole  de- 
tachment continuing  to  retire,  recrossed  the  ravine, 
and  proceeded  with  the  reserve  six  miles  in  the  rear 
of  Greenspring;  where  La  Fayette,  finding  the  enemy 
did  not  pursue,  encamped  for  the  night. 

We  lost  of  our  continentals  one  hundred  and  eigh- 
teen, in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners,  of  which  ten 
were  officers.  Our  loss  of  rifle  militia  was  never  as- 
certained. The  British  suffered  much  less,  having  lost 
only  five  officers  and  seventy  privates. 

The  marquis's  postponement  of  his  march  to  the 
evening  was  in  its  effect  most  fortunate.  One  hour 
more  of  the  light  of  day  must  have  produced  the 
most  disastrous  conclusion.  Lord  Cornwallis  in  his 
official  letter,  considers  one  half  hour  only,  to  have 
been  enough  for  his  purpose.  No  pursuit  was  even 
attempted  on  the  part  of  the  conqueror,  but  he  return- 
ed immediately  after  the  battle  closed  to  his  camp. 


230  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

At  the  break  of  day  lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton,  with 
his  cavalry  and  some  mounted  infantry,  by  the  order 
of  the  general,  followed  our  army;  and  captain  Cham- 
pagne, with  three  companies  of  light  infantry,  moved 
to  support  him. 

After  passing  the  defile  in  front  of  Greenspring, 
Tarleton  fell  in  with  one  of  our  patroles  of  mounted 
riflemen,  which  he  drove  in  upon  La  Fayette,  killing 
some  and  wounding  others.  The  marquis  was  still  in 
the  position  he  had  taken  the  night  before;  and  had 
Cornwallis  moved  at  the  same  hour  with  his  cavalry, 
he  might  have  inflicted  the  heavy  blow,  from  whose 
crush  we  had  so  happily  escaped  the  evening  before. 
But  after  some  consultation,  after  the  action,  upon  the 
course  to  be  pursued,  he  concluded  it  expedient  to  pass 
the  river  and  hasten  to  Portsmouth,  for  the  purpose 
of  embarking  the  troops  called  for  by  the  commander 
in  chief.  During  the  7th  and  8th,  the  British  army 
crossed  to  the  southern  shore;  and  on  the  9th  lord 
Cornwallis  detached  lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton,  with 
his  cavalry  and  eighty  mounted  infantry,  to  New  Lon- 
don in  the  county  of  Bedford,  adjoining  the  Blue  Ridge, 
and  at  least  two  hundred  miles  from  any  possible  sup- 
port: This  perilous  expedition  was  planned  for  the 
purpose  of  destroying  some  collections  of  stores  said 
to  be  in  that  district  for  the  army  of  Greene,  and  for 
the  interception  of  some  of  the  light  troops  believed  to 
be  moving  from  the  southern  army  to  the  assistance 
of  La  Fayette.  Tarleton  passed  through  Petersburg  on 
the  9th,  and  proceeded  with  expedition  to  Prince  Ed- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    231 

ward,  where  he  expected  to  find  our  principal  maga- 
zines. He  was  disappointed; — all  our  stores  at  this 
place  had  been  for  some  time  forwarded  to  the  South. 

Continuing  his  march,  he  soon  reached  Bedford 
county,  where  he  halted  for  two  days,  but  met  with 
no  stores  of  any  consequence,  nor  could  he  learn  of 
the  advance  of  any  of  the  light  troops  from  the  South. 
On  the  contrary  he  was  informed,  that  general  Greene 
was  before  Ninety- Six,  pursuing  with  his  whole  force 
the  object  of  his  movement  into  South  Carolina. 

Turning  towards  the  seaboard,  the  British  officer 
returned  unhurt  on  the  15th  day  from  his  departure, 
and  joined  lord  Cornwallis  in  the  county  of  Suffolk; 
where  his  lordship,  having  detached  the  reinforcement 
required  by  the  commander  in  chief  to  Portsmouth  for 
embarkation,  waited  for  the  rejunction  of  the  light 
corps.  As  soon  as  this  took  place  the  British  general 
moved  to  Portsmouth,  and  encamped  with  his  in- 
fantry in  front  of  his  works;  the  cavalry  passed  Eliza- 
beth river,  and  were  cantoned  in  the  county  of  Prin- 
cess Ann,  where  wholesome  and  abundant  subsistence 
for  man  and  horse  was  to  be  found  on  every  plan- 
tation. 

La  Fayette  received,  on  the  day  after  his  repulse,  a 
handsome  squadron  of  dragoons  under  captain  Moore 
from  the  town  of  Baltimore;  and  retired  with  most  of 
his  army  to  the  forks  of  York  river,  having  dismissed 
all  his  militia. 

Thus  was  concluded  the  summer  campaign  of  lord 
Cornwallis  in  Virginia.  For  eight  or  nine  weeks  he 


232  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

had  been  engaged  in  the  most  active  movements, 
at  the  head  of  an  army  completely  fitted  for  the  ardu- 
ous scenes  of  war,  warmly  attached  to  its  general, 
proud  in  its  knowledge  of  its  own  ability,  and  ready  to 
encounter  every  danger  and  difficulty  to  give  success  to 
its  operations.  The  inferiority  of  La  Fayette  in  num- 
ber, in  quality,  in  cavalry,  in  arms  and  equipment,  has 
been  often  recurred  to  and  cannot  be  doubted. 

Yet  strange  when  the  primary  object  of  the  British 
general  must  have  been  the  annihilation  of  our  army 
in  Virginia,  he  never  struck  it  in  whole  or  in  part,  al- 
though manoeuvring  in  his  face  in  an  open  country, 
and  remote  from  support  of  every  sort  except  occa- 
sional aids  of  militia. 

Such  omission  on  the  part  of  lord  Cornwallis  is  in- 
explicable. More  than  once  he  had  fair  opportunities 
to  compel  battle;  and  that  only  was  necessary,  with 
his  vast  superiority,  to  have  produced  the  ruin  of  his 
antagonist. 

The  American  general  had  great  difficulties  to  sur- 
mount, as  well  as  to  guard  against  his  formidable  foe, 
pressing  him  on  his  retreat.  Wayne  directing  his  most 
efficient  aid,  was  far  to  his  right;  and  the  baron  Steu- 
ben, with  the  Virginia  levies,  was  as  far  on  his  left. 
The  public  stores  deposited  in  several  magazines  ac- 
cessible to  the  enemy;  and  the  great  body  of  the  in- 
habitants below  the  mountains,  flying  from  their 
homes  with  their  wives,  their  children,  and  the  most 
valuable  of  their  personal  property,  to  seek  protection 
in  the  mountains.  The  state  authorities,  executive  and 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    233 

legislative,  like  the  flying  inhabitants,  driven  from  the 
seat  of  government;  chased  from  Charlottesville;  and 
at  length  interposing  the  Blue  Ridge  between  them* 
selves  and  the  enemy  to  secure  a  resting  place  at 
Staunton.  In  this  period  of  gloom,  of  disorder,  and  of 
peril,  La  Fayette  was  collected  and  undismayed.  With 
zeal,  with  courage,  and  with  sagacity,  he  discharged 
his.  arduous  duties;  and  throughout  his  difficult  retreat 
was  never  brought  even  to  array  but  once  in  order  for 
battle. 

Invigorating  our  counsels  by  his  precepts;  dispel- 
ling our  despondency  by  his  example;  and  encourag- 
ing his  troops  to  submit  to  their  many  privations,  by 
the  cheerfulness  with  which  he  participated  in  their 
wants;  he  imparted  the  energy  of  his  own  mind  to  the 
country,  and  infused  his  high  toned  spirit  into  his 
army.  His  efforts  were  crowned  with  success;  and  even 
the  erroneous  determination  to  risk  the  elite  of  his 
force  for  the  purpose  of  capturing  a  supposed  cover- 
ing party  of  the  hostile  army,  when  occupied  in  pass- 
ing James  river,  was  repaired  by  the  celerity  with 
which  he  discovered  his  mistake,  and  with  which  he 
curtailed  its  ills.  To  La  Fayette,  to  his  able  second,  gen- 
eral Nelson,  to  his  cavalry,  to  his  rifle  corps,  to  his  offi- 
cers and  his  soldiers  in  mass,  much  praise  is  due;  nor 
was  it  withheld  by  their  comrades  in  arms,  by  their 
enemy,  and  by  the  nation. 

Now,  for  the  first  time  throughout  the  war,  did  ever 
doubt  attach  to  the  merits  of  the  British  general.  In 
the  North  and  in  the  South,  in  the  cabinet  and  in  the 

Vol.  II.  2G 


234  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

field,   he  stood  pre-eminent;  the  bulwark   of  Great 
Britain, — the  dread  of  America. 

When  in  command  of  mighty  means,  and  in  the 
heart  of  that  state  whose  prostration  he  uniformly 
viewed  as  the  first  pre-requisite  to  the  subjugation  of 
the  South,  that  he  should  content  himself  with  burning 
tobacco,  destroying  a  portion  of  our  scattered  stores, 
and  chasing  our  governor  from  hill  to  hill,  and  our  le- 
gislature from  town  to  town,  comports  neither  with 
his  past  fame  nor  with  his  then  duty.  The  destruction 
of  La  Fayette  ought  to  have  been  his  sole  object  until 
finished. 

To  it  every  other  good  appertained;  and  this  was  cer- 
tainly in  his  power  during  his  retreat,  and  even  when 
he  covered  himself  behind  Mechunck's  creek  to  save 
the  stores  at  Albermarle  old  court-house.  But  admit 
that  this  presumption  is  extravagant;  we  cannot  err 
when  we  assert,  that  by  following  up  the  blow  at  James' 
island,  he  must  have  renewed  the  catastrophe  of  Camb- 
den  in  the  lawns  of  Greenspring.  A  second  army  would 
have  been  annihilated;  and  that  too  when  on  its  fate 
hung  the  safety  of  Virginia,  of  the  South,  if  not  of  the 
United  States. 

Had  Cornwallis  acted  as  he  ever  had  done  until  he 
took  command  of  the  hostile  army  at  Petersburg, 
he  would  have  moved  after  snatching  some  refresh- 
ment, and  a  few  hours  repose;  he  would  have  fallen 
upon  the  left  flank  of  La  Fayette;  he  would  have 
forced  him  upon  the  Chickahominy,  which  for  many 
miles  skirted  his  right,  and  compelled  him  to  surren« 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     235 

der  or  to  die  in  the  last  effort.  For  some  cause  not  yet 
clearly  known,  a  very  different  conduct  was  pursued; 
as  derogatory  to  the  high  fame  of  this  distinguished 
soldier,  as  it  was  in  its  consequences  injurious  to  his 
country  and  destructive  to  himself  and  army. 

A  careful  examination  of  the  commander  in  chief  and 
lord  Cornwallis's  correspondence  exhibits  two  facts; 
first,  that  sir  Henry  Clinton  was  very  much  disposed  to 
pursue,  with  the  army  of  Virginia,  operations  at  the  head 
of  the  Chesapeak,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Baltimore, 
or  in  the  Delaware  Neck;  and  secondly,  that  earl  Corn- 
wallis  did  not  accord  with  his  chief  in  such  applica- 
tion of  the  force  under  his  orders,  preferring  the  de- 
struction of  Virginia  to  any  other  object.  This  mate- 
rial difference  in  view  and  judgment  laid  the  founda- 
tion for  that  languor  in  exertion  which  marks  every 
step  of  Cornwallis  in  Virginia,  until  his  manly  resolve 
to  take  care  of  his  army  by  crossing  York  river,  when 
he  found  Clinton's  promised  relief  illusory. 

Knowing  it  to  be  his  duty  to  support,  and  not  to  di- 
rect, the  serious  intention  expressed  by  sir  Henry 
Clinton  of  pressing  solid  operations  in  the  upper 
Chesapeak,  which  we  may  fairly  infer  (from  his  let- 
ter written  six  days  after  he  reached  Virginia)  were 
known  to  his  lordship  before  he  left  Westover,  induced 
him  to  adopt  a  contracted  scale  of  conduct,  lest  he 
might  delay,  if  not  mar  his  chief's  design.  He  found 
himself  now  the  mere  puppet  of  the  commander  in 
chief,  and  not  the  carver  and  executor  of  his  own 
plans,  limited  by  general  principles  necessary  to  so . 


230  Memoirs  of  the  IVar  in  the 

cure  unity  in  design  and  correspondency  in  execution. 
This  change  in  official  character  produced  the  sub- 
sequent change  so  apparent  in  his  conduct.  In  his 
letter  (above  alluded  to)  of  the  26th  of  May,  dated 
"Byrd's  plantation,  north  of  James  river,"  is  the  fol- 
lowing paragraph:  "  I  shall  now  proceed  to  dislodge 
La  Fayette  from  Richmond,  and  with  my  light  troops 
destroy  any  magazines  or  stores  in  the  neighbourhood, 
which  may  have  been  collected  either  for  his  use  or  for 
general  Greene's  army.  From  thence  I  propose  to  move 
to  the  neck  ofWilliamsburgh,  which  is  represented  as 
healthy,  and  where  some  subsistence  may  be  procured, 
and  keep  myself  unengaged  from  operations  which 
might  interpose  with  your  plan  of  the  campaign,  until 
I  have  the  satisfaction  of  hearing  from  you." 

It  is  evident  from  this  letter  that  it  was  an  answer 
to  instructions  found  among  general  Phillips's  papers, 
delineating  the  plan  of  the  campaign;  or  to  a  letter 
which  met  Cornvvallis  at  Petersburg,  explaining  the 
views  of  the  commander  in  chief. 

To  the  tenor  of  this  answer  Cornwallis's  conduct 
corresponded.  He  did  dislodge  La  Fayette  from  Rich- 
mond; he  did  destroy  all  the  stores  in  that  neighbour- 
hood, and  even  some  more  remote;  and  h  did  after- 
wards return  to  Williamsburgh. 

It  is  true  that  he  employed  some  few  days  in  pursuit 
of  La  Fayette;  but  confining  himself  in  point  of  time, 
he  did  not  persevere  in  pressing  that  object  lest  it  might 
consume  more  time  than  was  compatible  with  the  ul- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   237 

terior  views  of  the  commander  in  chief.  In  sir  Henry 
Clinton's  letter  of  the  11th  of  June,*  when  comparing 

*  Extract  of  a  letter  from  sir  Henry  Clinton  to  earl  Cornwal- 

lis,  dated 

New  York,  June  11,  1781. 

"  Respecting  my  opinions  of  stations  in  James  and  York  rivers, 
I  shall  beg  leave  only  to  refer  your  lordship  to  my  instructions 
to,  and  correspondence  with,  general  Phillips  and  Arnold;  toge- 
ther with  the  substance  of  conversations  with  the  former,  which 
your  lordship  will  have  found  among  general  Phillips'  papers, 
and  to  which  I  referred  you  in  my  last  despatch.  I  shall,  there- 
fore, of  course,  approve  of  any  alteration  your  lordship  may  think 
proper  to  make  in  these  stations. 

**  The  detachments  I  have  made  from  this  army  into  Chesa- 
peak,  since  general  Leslie's  expedition  in  October  last,  inclu- 
sive, have  amounted  to  seven  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-four effectives;  and  at  the  time  your  lordship  made  the  junction 
with  the  corps  there,  there  were  under  major  general  Phillips' 
orders,  five  thousand  three  hundred  and  four:  a  force,  I  should 
have  hoped,  would  be  sufficient  of  itself  to  have  carried  on  ope- 
rations in  any  of  the  southern  provinces  of  America;  where,  as 
appears  by  the  intercepted  letters  of  Washington  and  La  Fayette, 
they  are  in  no  situation  to  stand  against  even  a  division  of  that 
army. 

"  I  have  reason  to  suppose  the  continentals,  under  La  Fay- 
ette, cannot  exceed  one  thousand;  and  I  am  told  by  lieute- 
nant colonel  Hill,  of  the  ninth  regiment,  that  about  a  fortnight 
ago  he  met  at  Fredericktown  the  Pennsylvania  line,  under 
Wayne,  of  about  the  same  number;  who  were  so  discontented, 
that  their  officers  were  afraid  to  trust  them  with  ammunition. 
This,  however,  may  have  since  altered;  and  your  lordship  may 
possibly  have  opposed  to  you  from  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thou- 
sand continentals,  and  (as  La  Fayette  observes)  a  small  body  of 
ill  armed  peasantry,  full  as  spiritless  as  the  militia  of  the  south- 
ern provinces,  and  without  any  service. 


238  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

the  force  under  Cornwallis  and  under  La  Fayette,  he 
says,  "  I  should  have  hoped  you  would  have  quite 

"  Comparing,  therefore,  the  force  now  under  your  lordship  in 
the  Chesapeak,  and  that  of  the  enemy  opposed  to  you,  (and  I 
think  it  clearly  appears  that  they  have  for  the  present  no  inten- 
tion of  sending  thither  reinforcements,)  I  should  have  hoped  you 
would  have  quite  sufficient  to  carry  on  any  operation  in  Virginia, 
should  that  have  been  advisable  at  this  advanced  season. 

"  By  the  intercepted  letters  inclosed  to  your  lordship  in  my 
last  despatch,  you  will  observe,  that  I  am  threatened  with  a  siege 
in  this  post.  My  present  effective  force  is  only  ten  thousand  nine 
hundred  and  thirty-one.  With  respect  to  that  the  enemy  may  col- 
lect for  such  an  object,  it  is  probable  they  may  amount  to  at  least 
twenty  thousand,  besides  reinforcements  to  the  French,  (which, 
from  pretty  good  authority,  1  have  reason  to  expect,)  and  the  nu- 
merous militia  of  the  five  neighboring  provinces.  Thus  circum- 
stanced, I  am  persuaded  your  lordship  will  be  of  opinion,  that  the 
sooner  I  concentrate  my  force  the  better.  Therefore,  (unless  your 
lordship,  after  the  receipt  of  my  letter  of  the  29th  of  May  and 
the  8th  instant,  should  incline  to  agree  with  me  in  opinion,  and 
judge  it  right  to  adopt  my  ideas  respecting  the  move  to  Balti- 
more, or  the  Delaware  neck,  8cc.)  I  beg  leave  to  recommend  it 
to  you,  as  soon  as  you  have  finished  the  active  operations  you 
may  now  be  engaged  in,  to  take  a  defensive  station,  in  any 
healthy  situation  you  choose,  (be  it  at  Williamsburgh  or  York 
Town);  and  I  would  wish,  in  that  case,  that,  after  reserving  to 
yourself  such  troops  as  you  may  judge  necessary  for  ample  de- 
fensive, and  desultory  movements  by  water,  for  the  purpose  of 
annoying  the  communications,  destroying  magazines,  &c,  the 
following  corps  may  be  sent  to  me  in  succession,  as  you  can; 
spare  them:  two  battalions  of  light  infantry;  forty-third  regiment; 
seventy-sixth  or  eightieth  regiments;  two  battalions  of  Anspach; 
Queen's  rangers,  cavalry  and  infantry;  remains  of  the  detachment 
of  the  seventeenth  light  dragoons;  and  such  proportion  of  artil- 
lery as  can  be  spared,  particularly  men." 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    239 

sufficient  force  to  carry  on  any  operation  in  Virginia, 
should  that  have  been  advisable  at  this  late  season." 
The  concluding  words  plainly  show  that  he  considered 
it  too  late  to  press  operations  in  Virginia,  as  they  would 
interfere  with  what  he  deemed  more  important.  In 
this  same  letter,  the  British  chief  communicates  the 
prospect  of  a  combined  attack  upon  New  York,  and 
demands  a  reinforcement  from  the  army  in  Virginia. 
"By  intercepted  letters  inclosed  to  your  lordship  in 
my  last  despatch,  you  will  observe  I  am  threatened 
with  a  siege  in  this  post.  My  present  effective  force  is 
only  ten  thousand  nine  hundred  and  thirty  one:  with 
respect  to  that  the  enemy  may  collect  for  such  an  ob- 
ject, it  is  probable  they  may  amount  to  at  least  twenty 
thousand,  besides  reinforcements  to  the  French  (which 
from  pretty  good  authority  I  have  reason  to  expect,) 
and  the  numerous  militia  of  the  five  neighboring  pro- 
vinces. Thus  circumstanced,  I  am  persuaded  your 
lordship  will  be  of  opinion  that  the  sooner  I  concen- 
trate my  force  the  better. 

"  Therefore  (unless  your  lordship,  after  the  re- 
ceipt of  my  letter  of  the  29th  of  May  and  8th  of 
June,  should  incline  to  agree  with  me  in  opinion, 
and  judge  it  right  to  adopt  my  ideas  respecting  the 
move  to  Baltimore,  or  the  Delaware  neck,  &c.)  I  beg 
leave  to  recommend  it  to  you,  as  soon  as  you  have 
finished  the  active  operations  you  may  now  be  engaged 
in,  to  take  a  defensive  station  in  any  healthy  situa- 
tion you  choose  (be  it  at  Williamsburgh  or  York 
Town);  and  I  would  wish,  in  that  case,  that  after  re- 


240  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

serving  to  yourself  such  troops  as  you  may  judge 
necessary  for  ample  defensive,  and  desultory  move- 
ments by  water,  for  the  purpose  of  annoying  the  ene- 
my's communications,  destroying  magazines,  &c,  the 
following  corps  may  be  sent  to  me  in  succession  as 
you  can  spare  them." 

The  letters  above  mentioned,  of  the  29th  May  and 
8th  June,  were  (as  we  infer  from  lord  Cornwallis's  cor- 
respondence) never  received,  or  probably  the  confi- 
dence they  breathe  might  have  induced  his  lordship 
to  venture  to  appropriate  his  time  and  measures  as 
his  own  judgment  should  direct.  In  which  case  the 
army  of  La  Fayette  would  have  experienced  a  more 
determined  and  persevering  pursuit. 

Conforming  his  whole  conduct  to  the  plan  of  his 
commander  in  chief,  he  followed  his  enemy  only  over 
the  North  Anna,  a  branch  of  the  Pamunkey;  and  as 
soon  as  he  completed  some  secondary  objects  he  fell 
back  to  Williamsburgh,  and  from  thence  interposed 
the  James  river  between  himself  and  La  Fayette,  for 
the  purpose  of  hastening  the  required  detachment  to 
Clinton;  the  demand  for  which  was  repeated  by  a  let- 
ter dated  the  28th  of  June.  It  results  clearly  from  this 
cursory  review  of  facts,  that  lord  Cornwallis,  from  the 
moment  he  assumed  the  command  of  the  army  in 
Virginia  (20th  of  May),  considered  himself  as  the 
mere  executor  of  plans  devised  by  his  principal;  and 
that  he  consequently  never  ventured  to  engage  in 
measures,  whose  execution  might  in  any  degree  in- 
terrupt the  completion  of  sir  Henry  Clinton's  designs. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    241 

This  control  paralized  all  his  efforts,  and  he  no  longer 
displayed  that  decision  and  fire  which  had  before  mark- 
ed his  military  career. 

After  passing  James  river,  Cornwallis  seems  to  have 
indulged  his  natural  biass,  by  detaching  lieutenant 
colonel  Tarleton  to  the  county  of  Bedford.  This  dar- 
ing enterprise  emanated  from  his  unceasing  desire 
to  cramp  the  exertions  of  Greene,  by  destroying  all 
the  stores  intended  to  supply  the  pressing  wants  of 
our  army  in  the  South;  and  from  his  determination 
never  to  permit  any  of  Greene's  light  troops  to  join 
La  Fayette,  some  of  whom  he  now  believed  were 
approaching  the  Dan  to  reinforce  the  army  in  Vir- 
ginia. 

It  is  very  surprising  that  La  Fayette,  who'  had 
just  manifested  his  anxiety  to  strike  his  adversary, 
even  at  the  risk  of  the  loss  of  his  army,  should  not 
have  now  indulged  the  same  propensity,  when  the. 
present  opportunity  so  forcibly  invited  the  attempt; 
which  was  not  only  practicable,  but  exempt  from 
much  hazard. 

The  reinforcement  of  horse  just  received  under 
captain  Moore,  must  have  augmented  his  cavalry  to 
two  hundred:  Tarleton  had  with  him  about  the  same 
number  of  dragoons.  The  bat  and  other  horses  with 
the  army,  and  such  as  might  be  readily  procured  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  camp,  would  have  enabled 
La  Fayette  to  mount  four  or  live  hundred  infantry, 
two  upon  a  horse.  Tarleton  had  with  him  but  eighty 
mounted  infantry.  With  this  force  a  skilful  officer  (and 

Vol.  IT.  3JFI 


242  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  t/ie 

the  American  general  had  many)  could  not  have  been 
disappointed  in  intercepting  the  British  detachment. 

But  La  Fayette  contented  himself  with  sending  a 
body  of  infantry  under  Brigadier  Wayne  across  James 
river,  whose  corps  was  not  fitted  to  the  enterprise,  and 
who  therefore  could  not  with  his  means  effect  the  ob- 
ject, unless  lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton  had  improvi- 
dently  thrown  himself  into  his  lap. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton,  discovering  lord  Cornwallis's 
aversion  to  the  establishment  of  a  post  on  the  Chesa- 
peak,  and  determined  to  fix  one  there,  countermand- 
ed the  move  of  the  reinforcement  heretofore  required, 
and  repeated  his  directions  for  the  selection  and  forti- 
fication of  a  permanent  post,  convenient  for  desultory 
maritime  expeditions  up  the  Chesapeak  and  its  nu- 
merous rivers,  and  capable  of  protecting  line  of  battle 
ships. 

It  appears  that  the  British  admiral  on  the  Ameri- 
can station  had  experienced  the  disadvantages  which 
flowed  from  the  navy's  occupying  the  usual  stations 
during  the  freezing  months,  and  was  consequently 
anxious  of  wintering  his  fleet  further  south.  He  says, 
in  his  letter  to  lord  Cornwallis,  dated  12th  July,  oft* 
Sandy  Hook,  "  That  there  fs  no  place  for  great  ships,, 
during  the  freezing  months,  on  this  side  of  the  Chesa- 
peak, where  the  great  ships  will  be  in  security,  and 
at  the  same  time  capable  of  acting;  and  in  my  opi- 
nion they  had  better  go  to  the  West  Indies,  than  to  be 
laid  up  in  Halifax  during  the  winter;"  and  he  goes  on 
to  recommend  Hampton  Roads  as  the  proper  place. 

Earl  Cornwallis,  yielding  further  opposition  to  the 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    243 

will  of  sir  Henry  Clinton,  sent  his  engineer  and  some 
captains  of  the  navy  to  examine  Old  Point  Comfort, 
which  appears  to  have  been  the  site  preferred  for  the 
intended  post,  both  by  the  general  and  admiral. 

The  report  of  these  officers  was  unfavourable;*  and 

*  Copy  of  the  report  of  lieutenant  Sutherland,  engineer,  dated 
Billy,  ordnance  transport,  Hampton  Roads,  July  25,  1781. 

My  Lord, 

Agreeably  to  your  orders,  I  have  examined  the  ground  on  Old 
Point  Comfort  with  as  much  accuracy  as  I  possibly  could;  and 
for  your  lordship's  better  information,  I  have  made  a  survey  of 
the  ground,  upon  which  is  laid  down  the  width  and  sounding  of 
the  channel.  I  beg  leave  to  offer  what  appears  to  me,  respecting 
the  situation  of  a  work  on  that  spot. 

The  ground  where  the  ruins  of  fort  George  lie  is  the  fittest 
for  a  work,  but  at  the  same  time  must  be  attended  with  many 
inconveniences. 

The  level  of  the  ground  there  is  about  two  feet  higher  than 
the  high  water  mark;  which,  from  its  very  short  distance  to  the 
deep  water,  must  soon  be  destroyed  by  a  naval  attack. 

The  great  width  and  depth  of  the  channel  give  ships  the  ad- 
vantage of  passing  the  fort  with  very  little  risk.  I  apprehend  one 
thousand  five  hundred  yards  is  too  great  a  distance  for  batteries 
to  stop  ships,  which  is  the  distance  here.  Ships  that  wish  to  pass 
the  fire  of  the  fort,  have  no  occasion  to  approach  nearer. 

Nor  do  I  imagine  a  fort  built  there  could  afford  any  great  pro- 
tection to  an  inferior  and  weak  fleet,  anchored  near  the  fort, 
against  a  superior  fleet  of  the  enemy;  which  must  have  it  in 
their  power  to  make  their  own  disposition,  and  place  our  fleet 
between  them  and  the  fort;  the  channel  affording  no  bay  for  the 
security  of  ships  under  cover  of  a  fort. 

The  time  and  expense  to  build  a  fort  there  must  be  very  con- 
siderable, from  the  low  situation  of  the  ground,  which  must 


244  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

lord  Cornwallis,  coinciding  in  the  same  opinion,  se- 
lected York  and  Gloucester,  not  far  above  the  mouth 
of  York  river,  instead  of  Old  Point  Comfort. 

To  this  place  he  repaired  with  the  first  division  of 
his  army;  and  disembarking  it  early  in  August,  took 
possession  of  both  posts.  After  occupying  these,  his 
lordship  directed  brigadier  O'Hara,  commanding  at 
Portsmouth,  to  destroy  the  works  there,  and  to  join 
him  with  the  rear  division  of  the  army.  This  was  done 
with  all  convenient  despatch,  and  the  whole  British  force 
concentrated  in  the  position  of  York  and  Glouces- 
ter before  the  23d.  Cornwallis,  as  soon  as  he  landed  the 
first  division  of  the  army,  engaged  in  tracing  the  lines 
of  the  necessary  works  on  both  sides  of  the  river; 
and  committing  the  direction  of  the  post  of  Gloucester 
to  lieutenant  colonel  Dundas,  continued  himself  in 
that  of  York. 

While  with  zeal  and  assiduity  he  pressed  forward 
the  completion  of  his  fortifications  with  his  infantry, 
and  at  the  same  time  employed  his  cavalry  in  collect- 
ing cattle  and  forage,  he  held  his  army  ready  to  move 

necessarily  cause  the  soil  to  be  moved  from  a  great  distance  to 
form  the  ramparts  and  parapets;  and  every  other  material  must 
be  carried  there,  as  the  timber  on  the  peninsula  is  unfit  for  any 
useful  purpose. 

These  are  the  remarks  which  have  occurred  to  me  on  exa- 
mining the  ground  and  situation  of  a  work  on  Old  Point  Com- 
fort, for  the  protection  of  the  harbor  and  fleet;  which  I  humbly 
submit  to  your  lordship. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  &c. 

Alexander  Sutherland. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    245 

upon  La  Fayette,  should  he  think  proper  to  approach 
him. 

The  American  general,  as  soon  as  he  was  advised 
of  the  possession  of  the  post  on  York  river  by  the 
enemy,  broke  up  from  his  camp  on  Pamunkey,  and 
recalled  Wayne  from  the  southern  side  of  James  river, 
whither  he  had  been  detached  to  intercept  Tarleton, 
and  where  he  had  been  continued  in  conformity  to  the 
orders  of  the  commander  in  chief;  who,  as  soon  as  he 
decided  to  turn  his  force  upon  the  enemy  in  Virginia, 
apprized  La  Fayette  of  his  intention,  and  commanded 
him  to  take  measures  for  the  interruption  of  lord  Corn- 
wallis's  retreat,  should  that  general  discover  the  in- 
tended blow,  and  attempt  to  elude  it  by  gaining  North 
Carolina.  w- 

The  Queen's  rangers,  under  Simcoe,  held  the  post 
of  Gloucester;  while  lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton,  with 
his  legion,  occupied  the  front  of  that  of  York.  These 
officers  displayed  their  habitual  activity  in  traversing 
and  foraging  the  country  on  both  sides  of  the  river, 
and  in  dispersing  all  the  militia  collected  in  their 
neighborhood.  They  took  extensive  sweeps  in  pursuit 
of  their  objects;  there  being  no  force  nearer  to  Simcoe 
than  a  detachment  of  volunteer  militia  under  lieutenant 
colonel  John  Taylor,  formerly  of  Hazen's  regiment, 
who  had  established  himself  near  Gloucester  court- 
house, for  the  protection  of  that  quarter  of  the  coun- 
try; and  none  nearer  to  Tarleton,  than  a  small  body  of 
militia  at  Chiswell's  Ordinary,  on  the  Fredericksburg 
road.  Taylor  baffled  every  attempt  to  strike  his  corps; 


246  Memoirs  of  the  JVar  in  the 

but  the  officer  at  Chiswell's  was  not  so  fortunate. 
Tarleton  fell  upon  him  very  unexpectedly,  and  broke 
up  his  post,  but  with  very  little  loss. 

Brigadier  Weedon  being  again  called  to  take  com- 
mand of  a  portion  of  the  militia,  repaired  by  order  to 
Gloucester  court-house,  early  in  September,  with  se- 
veral small  detachments,  where  he  relieved  lieutenant 
■colonel  Taylor. 

As  there  were  among  our  militia  many  soldiers  who 
had  served  out  their  terms  of  inlistment  in  the  army, 
Weedon  judiciously  directed  those  individuals  to  be 
thrown  into  one  corps,  and  placed  it  under  the  com- 
mand of  lieutenant  colonel  Mercer;  who  had,  during 
the  preceding  period  of  the  campaign,  served  witR  his 
troop  of  dragoons  in  the  army  of  La  Fayette.  This 
officer*  selected  appropriate  characters  to  the  subor- 
dinate stations;  and  making  up  two  hundred  effectives, 
rank  and  file,  he  was  detached  in  front  of  the  militia. 

Weedon  having  arranged  his  corps,  advanced  to 
Dixon's  mills  about  the  middle  of  the  month,  where 
he  continued;  exerting  every  means  in  his  power  to 
confine  the  enemy's  foragers  to  a  small  circle,  the 
chief  object  in  view  on  the  Gloucester  side  of  the 
river. 

*  Mercer  having  resigned  his  commission  in  the  army,  (as  has 
been  mentioned,)  and  not  being  an  officer  in  the  militia,  the  court 
of  the  county  of  Stafford,  in  which  he  was  born,  recommended 
him  (as  is  required  by  the  constitution  of  the  state  of  Virginia) 
to  the  executive,  who  conferred  on  him  the  commission  of  lieu- 
tenant colonel. 


■Southern  Department  of  the  United  Statks.    24' 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

1781.     1HE  period  of  tranquillity,  and  of  rest,  still 

August 

isc.  continued  in  the  camp  of  Greene,  undisturbed 
by  the  din  of  war. 

Worn  down  as  were  the  troops,  nothing  could  be 
more  comfortable  than  was  this  interval  of  peace;  and 
its  enjoyment  was  not  less  grateful  than  universal, 
with  the  single  exception  of  him  who  most  required 
and  most  deserved  it.  Greene's,  anxious  mind  and 
faithful  heart  rejected  participation  in  the  comfort 
himself  had  given. 

Virginia  was  overpowed  by  the  foe;  North  Carolina 
agitated  by  intestine  feuds,  promoted  by  the  counte- 
nance and  excitement  of  the  British  garrison  still 
possessing  Wilmington;  and  a  portion  of  the  two  south- 
ern states,  with  their  respective  metropolis,  in  the 
hands  of  the  enemy,  to  be  wrested  from  him  only  by 
battle. 

With  his  small  means,  to  uphold  Virginia,  to  res- 
tore North  Carolina,  and  confine  the  British  force  in 
South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  to  Charleston  and  Sa- 
vannah, called  for  unceasing  efforts  of  mind  and  body. 
He  gave  both  without  reserve;  and  finally  determined, 
first  to  liberate  North  Carolina,  by  carrying  the  garri- 
son of  Wilmington:  then  to  pass  into  the  enemy's 


248  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

country  south  of  the  Congaree,  and  compel  him  to 
give  it  up;  afterwards  to  hasten  to  Virginia  with  the 
elite  of  his  force,  uniting  to  it  the  army  of  La  Fayette, 
and  once  more  to  face  lord  Cornwallis.  In  pur- 
suance of  these  arrangements,  he  gave  orders 
on  the  2d  to  lieutenant  colonel  Lee,  to  hold  himself  in 
readiness,  with  his  legion,  Kirkwood's  Delawares,  and 
Handy's  Marylanders.  To  prevent  suspicion  of  his  in- 
tention, Washington,  with  his  cavalry,  was  directed 
to  pass  the  Wateree;  Marion,  with  his  militia,  was 
detached  to  the  country  on  the  Cambahee,  which  ri- 
ver makes  the  southern  boundary  of  the  Charleston 
district;  and  other  demonstrations  were  made,  indicat- 
ing the  design  of  entering  into  the  territory  occupied 
by  the  British.  The  general  aimed  his  blow  against 
Wilmington,  upon  the  persuasion  that  the  enterprise 
could  not  fail,  if  concealed  to  the  moment  of  execu- 
tion; and  this  he  deemed  practicable  from  its  distant 
situation,  in  itself  sufficient  to  lull  the  vigilance  of  the 
garrison;  from  the  sultry  season,  forbidding  military 
effort;  from  the  attachment  of  the  country  through 
which  the  course  selected  for  the  march  passed; 
and  from  the  facility  with  which  that  attachment 
might  be  applied  to  subserve  the  object.  Minute 
intelligence  respecting  the  enemy  and  his  defences, 
as  well  as  boats  for  the  passage  of  the  Cape  Fear 
river,  remained  to  be  procured  before  the  expe- 
dition could  commence.  Lee  despatched  captain  Ru- 
dolph, with  a  small  party  from  the  legion  infantry,  to 
acquire  the  one  and  to  collect  the  other. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    249 

This  officer  quitting  camp  in  the  night,  soon  reach- 
ed the  pine  barrens;  and  continuing  his  course  through 
the  woods  to  the  Pedee,  passed  that  river  and  ap- 
proached with  celerity  the  country  south  of  the  Cape 
Fear.  Concealing  himself  in  the  friendly  family  to 
which  he  was  introduced,  he  engaged,  with  his  usual 
diligence  and  caution,  in  the  execution  of  his  mission. 
So  favorable  was  his  report,  as  to  confirm  the  san- 
guine expectations  before  entertained  of  complete 
success.  Boats,  though  chiefly  canoes,  were  procura- 
ble in  sufficient  number  to  pass  the  infantry,  and  the 
horse  could  swim.  Major  Craig  still  commanded  the 
British  garrison;  an  officer  well  qualified  for  the  trust, 
being  circumspect  as  well  as  brave;  but  his  garrison 
consisted  only  of  three  hundred  men,  many  of  them 
in  the  hospital,  and  the  whole  inadequate  to  man  his 
extensive  works.  With  good  reason,  therefore,  was  it 
concluded,  that  a  concealed  and  sudden  approach  was 
alone  necessary  to  accomplish  the  object.  The  day  was 
fixed  for  the  march  of  Lee  and  his  final  orders  were 
made  out.  His  movement  was  disguised  by  the  osten- 
sible pretext  of  hastening  to  secure  a  convoy,  given 
out  to  be  on  its  way  from  Virginia,  which  might  be 
taken  or  destroyed  by  the  loyalists  of  North  Carolina, 
when  passing  through  their  neighborhood:  in  con- 
currence with  which  pretence,  Lee  was  ordered 
to  proceed  in  the  direction  of  Cambden  until  he 
reached  the  course  carrying  him  through  the  pine 
barren  into  the  tract  of  country  inhabited  by  well 
affected  citizens.    At    this   period   information   was 

Vol.  II.  21 


25b  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

received  from  general  Washington,  indicating  the  pro- 
bability that  the  French  West  India  fleet  would  visit 
our  coast  during  the  autumn,  and  intimating  the  pro- 
priety of  being  prepared  in  every  quarter  for  instant 
co-operation;  as  its  place  of  arrival  was  uncertain,  and 
its  continuance  with  us  would  be  necessarily  short. 
In  consequence  of  this  information,  general  Greene 
changed  his  plan,  believing  it  most  eligible  to  devote 
his  means  towards  the  accomplishment  of  the  imme- 
diate liberation  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia;  per- 
suaded that  as  soon  as  the  British  general  should  be 
apprized  of  the  probability  of  a  visit  from  the  French 
fleet,  the  garrison  would  be  withdrawn  from  Wilming- 
ton, and  thus  the  state  of  North  Carolina  would  be 
relieved,  without  risk  of  repulse,  or  loss  of  life.  This 
change  in  measures,  too,  was  extremely  agreeable  to 
governor  Rutledge,  just  returned  from  the  North  to 
resume  the  duties  of  his  station,  delighted  with  the 
prospect  of  seeing  his  state  complely  freed  by  the  ex- 
pected naval  assistance,  and  desirous  that  the  force  of 
Greene  should  be  held  for  that  end  primarily. 

The  detachment  under  Lee,  prepared  for  service, 
was  discharged;  and  captain  Rudolph  directed  to  re- 
turn, holding  nevertheless  secret  his  visit  to  Cape 
Fear. 

General  Greene,  though  induced  to  depart  from  the 
minor  object  in  his  plan  of  operations,  adhered  to  the 
general  system;  believing  it  the  wiser  policy  to  de- 
pend as  little  as  possible  on  the  aid  of  friends. 

Kepeating  his  orders  to  the  marquis  La  Fayette, 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    251 

urging  his  unvarying  adherence  to  the  most  cautious 
conduct,  and  communicating  his  intention  of  hast- 
ening to  his  support,  as  soon  as  the  state  of  affairs  in 
South  Carolina  would  permit, — 4ie  now  turned  his 
entire  attention  to  the  British  army,  still  encamped  on 
the  south  of  the  Congaree,  between  Motte's  and  the 
Santee. 

The  season  yet  continued  extremely  hot;  but 
our  wounded  were  recovered*  our  sick  restored  to 
health,  and  the  month  of  August  wasting  away.  Or- 
ders were  issued  preparatory  to  movement,  and  on 
the  21st  the  American  general  decamped  from  the 
benign  hills  of  Santee,*  for  the  avowed  purpose  of 
seeking  his  enemy.  Lieutenant  colonel  Cruger  joined 
at  Orangeburgh,  soon  after  Greene,  (finding  Rawdon 
unassailable  with  hope  of  success)  had  retired  from  its 
vicinity.  Lord  Rawdon  having  accomplished  the  eva- 
cuation of  Ninety- Six,  removed  the  loyalists  of  that 
quarter  within  the  British  lines;  and  concentrating  his 
force  at  Orangeburgh,  upon  general  Greene's  retire- 
ment to  his  summer  quarters,  relinquished  the  com- 
mand of  the  army  to  lieutenant  colonel  Stuart,  and 
returned  to  Charleston,  with  the  view  of  embarking 
for  England, — long  intended,  but  heretofore  delayed 
by  the  critical  posture  of  affairs. 

*  The  soldiers  of  Greene's  army  may  truly  call  these  hills  be- 
nignant. Twice  our  general  there  resorted,  with  his  sick,  his 
wounded  and  worn  down  troops;  and  twice  we  were  restored  to 
health  and  strength,  by  its  elevated  dry  situation,  its  pure  air,  its* 
fine  water,  and  the  friendly  hospitality  of  its  inhabitants'. 


252  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Stuart  did  not'establish  a  post,  as  was  expected,  at 
Orangeburgh;  but  moving  his  whole  force  towards 
the  Santee,  sat  down  near  the  confluence  of  its  two 
branches,  about  fifteen  miles  from  his  adversary,  on 
the  opposite  side  of  that  river. 

Previous  to  the  breaking  up  from  the  High  Hills  of 
Santee,  an  occurrence  had  taken  place  in  Charleston 
which  deeply  affected  the  feelings  of  the  American 
general  and  army.  The  affair  would  probably  have 
led  to  a  war  of  extermination,  had  not  the  fast  approach 
of  peace  arrested  the  progress  of  a  system,  deliberately 
adopted  by  Greene,  and  ardently  maintained  by  every 
individual  of  his  army. 

Isaac  Hayne,*  a  highly  respectable  citizen  of  South 
Carolina,  had  taken  part  with  his  country  from  the 
commencement  of  the  war,  and  served  as  a  private  in 
the  militia  during  the  siege  of  Charleston.  After  the 

*  So  extremely  beloved  was  this  citizen  by  his  neighbors  that 
when  a  company  of  volunteers  was  levied  near  his  residence  in 
the  beginning  of  the  war,  Hayne  was  called  unanimously  to  the 
command  of  it. 

He  obeyed  the  call,  and  fulfilled  the  duties  of  his  station 
honorably  to  himself  and  beneficially  to  his  soldiers. 

The  regiment  to  which  the  company  was  attached  being  des- 
titute of  field  officers,  Hayne  was  named  as  colonel.  He  did  not 
succeed,  owing  to  some  intrigues  believed  to  be  practised  in  favor 
of  his  competitor,  which  so  disgusted  captain  Hayne  that  he  re- 
signed his  commission  and  returned  to  the  ranks,  where  by  his 
exemplary  zeal  and  obedience  he  very  much  advanced  the  dis- 
cipline of  the  regiment)  and  highly  contributed  to  its  subsequent 
utility. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    253 

surrender  of  that  place,  Hayne  returned  to  his  seat 
west  of  the  Edisto,  under  the  protection  of  the  fourth 
article  of  capitulation.  "  The  militia  now  in  the  garri- 
son," says  the  answer  to  that  article,  "  shall  be  per- 
mitted to  return  to  their  respective  homes  as  prisoners 
on  parole;  which  parole,  as  long  as  they  observe  it, 
shall  secure  them  from  being  molested  in  their  pro- 
perty.'* 

We  have  before  mentioned  the  extraordinary  pro- 
clamation of  sir  Henry  Clinton,  which  ordered  all  our 
militia  prisoners  on  parole,  not  taken  by  capitulation, 
or  in  confinement,  at  the  surrendering  of  Lincoln,  to 
become  British  subjects,  or  return  instantly  to  the 
commandant  of  Charleston.  Although  the  prisoners 
taken  at  the  surrender  of  that  city  were  excepted 
in  the  proclamation,  the  popularity  and  patriotism 
of  Hayne  notwithstanding  marked  him  as  the  first 
victim  of  its  tyranny. 

Colonel  Ballingall,  of  the  royal  militia  in  the  district 
of  Hayne's  residence,  waited  on  him,  from  personal 
respect,  and  communicated  the  orders  he  had  receiv- 
ed. Hayne  asserted  his  inviolability  under  the  capitu- 
lation of  Charleston;  represented  that  the  small-pox 
was  then  raging  in  his  family;   that  all  his  children 
were  ill  with  the  disease;  that  one  of  them  had  already 
died,  and  his  wife  was  on  the  verge  of  dissolution, 
Finding  the  remonstrance  unavailing,  he  declared  to 
Ballingall  that  no  human  force  should  remove  him 
from  the  side  of  his  dying  wife.  A  discussion  follow- 
ed, which  terminated  in  a  written  stipulation,  by  which 


254  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Hayne  engaged  to  "  demean  himself  as  a  British  sub- 
ject so  long  as  that  country  should  be  covered  by  the 
British  army." 

In  a  civil  war  no  citizen  should  expect  or  desire 
neutrality.  Whoever  attempts  to  place  himself  in  that 
condition  misunderstands  human  nature,  and  becomes 
entangled  in  toils  always  dangerous — often  fatal.  By 
endeavoring  to  acquire,  with  the  most  virtuous  motive, 
a  temporary  neutrality,  Hayne  was  unwisely  led  into 
a  compact  which  terminated  in  his  ruin. 

Pursuing  his  first  object,  the  care  of  his  sick  wife 
and  children,  Hayne  repaired  to  Charleston,  presented 
himself  to  brigadier  Patterson  with  the  written  agree- 
ment of  Bellingall,  and  solicited  permission  to  return 
home.  This  indulgence,  he  presumed,  could  not  be 
denied,  being  consistent  with  his  late  compact  and 
his  view  in  executing  it.  The  request,  however,  was 
peremptorily  refused;  and  Hayne  was  told,  that  he 
"  must  either  become  a  British  subject,  or  submit  to 
close  confinement."  The  latter  alternative  was  most 
agreeable  to  his  inclination;  but  that  tender  devotion 
to  his  family,  which  had  induced  him  to  repair  to 
Charleston,  urged  his  acceptance  of  the  former.  To 
his  friend,  Dr.  Ramsay,  who  was  then  a  prisoner  with 
the  enemy,  he  communicated  the  conflicting  emotions 
of  his  mind.*  Tranquillized  by  the  interview,  he  re- 

*  "  If  the  British  would  grant  me  the  indulgence,  which  we 
in  the  day  of  our  power  gave  to  their  adherents,  of  removing  mjr 
family  and  property,  I  would  seek  an  asylum  in  the  remotest 
corner  of  the  United  States  rather  than  submit  to  their  govern- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   25  S 

turned  to  the  commandant,  and  completed  his  error  by 
a  formal  acknowledgment  of  allegiance  to  the  British 
king — openly  excepting,  however,  to  the  clause  which 
required  his  support  of  government  with  arms.  Pat- 
terson the  commandant,  and  Simpson  the  intendant  of 
police,  assured  him,  that  such  service  would  never  be 
required;  and  added,  "  when  the  regular  forces  cannot 
defend  the  country  without  the  aid  of  its  inhabitants, 
it  will  be  high  time  for  the  royal  army  to  quit  it."  Thus 
this  amiable  citizen  proceeded  from  delusion  to  delu- 
sion, until  he  placed  himself  in  a  fallacious  security, 
which  subsequent  incidents  turned  to  his  destruction. 
Hayne  hastened  to  his  family,  happy  in  the  expecta- 
tion of  preserving  it  through  the  prevailing  pestilence. 
But  in  this  hope  he  was  sorely  disappointed;  for  his 
wife  and  a  second  child  soon  fell  victims  to  the  fatal 
malady.  These  afflictions  did  not  limit  his  misfortunes: 
inasmuch  as  he  was  interdicted  from  enjoying  even 

ment;  but  as  they  allow  no  other  alternative  than  submission 
or  confinement  in  the  capital,  at  a  distance  from  my  wife  and 
family,  at  a  time  when  they  are  in  the  most  pressing  need  of  my 
presence  and  support,  I  must  for  the  present  yield  to  the  demands 
of  the  conquerors.  1  request  you  to  bear  in  mind,  that,  previous 
to  my  taking  this  step,  I  declare  that  it  is  contrary  to  my  inclina- 
tion, and  forced  on  me  by  hard  necessity.  I  never  will  bear  arms 
against  my  country.  My  new  masters  can  require  no  service  of 
me  but  what  is  enjoined  by  the  old  militia  law  of  the  province, 
which  substitutes  a  line  in  lieu  of  personal  service.  That  I  will 
pay  as  the  price  of  my  protection.  If  my  conduct  should  be  cen- 
sured by  my  countrymen,  I  beg  that  you  would  remember  this 
eonversation,  and  bear  witness  for  me,  that  I  do  not  mean  to  de» 
sert  the  cause  of  America." 


256  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

the  political  quietude  he  had  attempted  to  secure.  He 
was  occasionally  required  to  bear  arms  in  the  regal 
service;  and,  uniformly  refusing  to  obey,  on  the  ground 
of  his  exception  at  the  time  of  subscribing  the  decla- 
ration of  allegiance,  he  was  threatened  with  close 
confinement. 

In  this  situation  Mr.  Hayne  was  found  when  Greene 
had  forced  the  enemy  from  the  upper  country,  and  re- 
stored to  the  Union  the  whole  of  Carolina  east  of  the 
Santee  and  north  of  the  Congaree.  A  detachment  of 
Marion's  militia  under  colonel  Harden,  passing  to  the 
west  of  the  Edisto  for  the  protection  of  their  own 
homes,  reached  the  neighborhood  of  Hayne.  Well 
knowing  his  worth  and  influence,  they  were  extremely 
anxious  to  procure  his  aid.  Paul  Hamilton,*  one  of 
this  party,  and  an  intimate  friend  of  Hayne,  called  on 
him  to  solicit  co-operation.  Hayne  frankly  stated  the 
change  which  had  taken  place  in  his  political  con- 
dition; and,  believing  himself  bound  by  the  declaration 
of  allegiance,  refused  to  concur  with  his  friends  in 
supporting  a  cause  the  success  of  which  was  the 
ardent  wish  of  his  heart.  Hamilton  then  asked  the  ac- 
commodation of  a  few  horses,  in  which  resource  Hayne 
was  known  to  abound.  Hayne  refused  the  request; 
and  informed  his  frierRl,  that  the  moment  he  heard  of 
Harden's  approach  he  ordered  all  his  horses  to  be 
removed,  lest  assistance  might  be  obtained  in  viola- 
tion of  his  plighted  faith.  Yet  he  assured  Hamilton. 

*  Present  secretary  of  the  navy. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    257 

that  whenever  he  should  find  the  royal  authority 
unable  to  afford  its  promised  protection,  he  should 
consider  himself  absolved  from  the  extorted  allegiance, 
and  would  with  joy  enrol  himself  with  the  defenders 
of  his  country. 

Thus  did  Hayne  scrupulously  adhere  to  a  contract, 
which  was  never  obligatory, — having  been  coerced 
by  the  duress  of  power,  and  in  palpable  violation  of 
the  capitulation  of  Charleston. 

Soon  after  this  occurrence,  the  British  were  driven 
below  the  Edisto;  and  nearly  the  whole  country  be- 
tween that  river  and  the  Stono  inlet  fell  under  the 
protection  of  the  American  arms.  Every  person  in 
the  recovered  country  believed  himself  released  from 
those  obligations,  which  the  late  condition  of  affairs 
had  imposed:  for  it  was  justly  thought  that  the  alle- 
giance due  to  a  conqueror  ceased  with  his  expulsion 
from  the  subdued  territory.  Under  this  correct  im- 
pression, Hayne  with  many  others  repaired  to  the 
American  camp.  His  merit  attracted  immediate  at- 
tention; and  the  militia  of  his  district,  by  an  elec- 
tion in  camp,  honored  him  with  the  command  of  a 
regiment. 

Taking  the  field  immediately,  colonel  Hayne  con- 
ducted (in  the  month  of  July),  an  expedition  into  the 
enemy's  territory.  Some  of  his  mounted  militia  pene- 
trated the  neck  of  Charleston,  and,  near  the  quarter- 
house,  captured  general  Williamson;  who  had  been 
as  active  in  supporting  the  royal  authority  since  the 
surrender  of  Lincoln,  as  he  had  been  firm  and  influen- 

Vol.  II.  2K 


258  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

tial  in  opposing  it  prior  to  that  event.  Lieutenant 
colonel  Balfour,  successor  of  brigadier  Patterson,  put 
Ins  cavalry  in  motion  to  recover  Williamson.  This 
detachment  fell  suddenly  on  the  camp  of  Hayne;  but 
was  handsomely  received  and  repelled  by  colonel 
Harden,  who  did  not  deem  it  prudent  to  push  his 
success  by  pursuit.*  Colonel  Hayne,  (attended  by  his 
second,  lieutenant  colonel  M'Lachlin,  and  a  small 
guard,)  had  unfortunately  gone  to  breakfast  with  a 
friend,  about  two  miles  from  camp.  The  house  was 
on  the  Charleston  road;  and  the  negligent  guard  hav- 
ing left  its  post  in  search  of  fruit,f  colonel  Hayne 
was  unapprised  of  the  enemy's  approach  until  he  saw 
them  a  few  rods  from  the  door.  Being  very  active 
and  resolute,  he  pushed  for  his  horse,  mounted,  and 
forced  his  way  through  the  foe.  To  pass  a  fence  in  his 
route,  he  put  spur  to  his  horse,  who  unfortunately  fell 
in  leaping,  and  the  entangled  rider  was  overtaken  by 
his  pursuers.  M'Lachlin,  being  cut  off  from  his  horse, 
fell  sword  in  hand,  bravely  contending  against  the 
surrounding  enemy. 

*  From  the  character  of  major  Harden  it  is  to  be  presumed 
that  the  inferiority  of  his  force  forbad  this  measure,  or  it  would 
have  been  resorted  to. 

t  One  of  the  thousand  instances  during  the  war  of  the  waste  of 
American  life  by  confidence  in  militia,  and  among  the  numerous 
evidences  in  favor  of  a  classification  of  our  militia,  by  which 
measure  we  should  obtain  defenders  worthy  of  the  high  trust 
reposed  in  them. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   259 

Colonel  Hayne  was  conveyed  to  Charleston,  and 
lodged  in  the  prison  of  the  provost.  The  purity  of 
the  prisoner's  character,  and  his  acknowledged  kind- 
ness to  the  unfortunate  in  his  power,  plead  against 
the  severity  which  the  commandant  was  disposed  to 
exercise:  nevertheless  the  most  rigorous  course  was 
pursued  with  relentless  pertinacity. 

Soon  after  he  was  confined  in  the  provost,  colonel 
Hayne  received  an  official  letter  from  the  town  major, 
stating  that  "  a  board  of  general  officers  would  assemble 
the  next  day,  for  his  trial.1'  In  the  evening  of  the  fol- 
lowing day,  the  same  officer  informed  him,  that  "  in- 
stead of  a  council  of  general  officers,  a  court  of  inquiry- 
would  be  held  to  determine  in  what  view  he  ought  to 
be  considered;  and  that  he  should  be  allowed  pen,  ink 
and  paper,  and  counsel."  On  the  29th  of  July,  two 
days  after  this  intelligence,  the  town  major  directed 
his  adjutant  to  acquaint  colonel  Hayne,  "  that  in  con- 
sequence of  the  court  of  inquiry,  held  as  directed,  lord 
Ravvdon  and  colonel  Balfour  have  resolved  on  his  exe- 
cution, on  Tuesday,  the  31st  instant,  at  six  o'clock; 
for  having  been  found  under  arms,  and  employed  in 
raising  a  regiment  to  oppose  the  British  government, 
after  he  had  become  a  subject  and  accepted  the  pro- 
tection of  government  at  the  reduction  of  Charleston." 

The  prisoner,  now  for  the  first  time  informed  of  the 
charge  exhibited  against  him,  addressed  the  following 
letter  to  the  two  British  officers,  who  were  about  to 
imbrue  their  hands  in  his  blood. 


260  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

To  lord  Rawdon  and  colonel  Balfour : 
"  My  Lord  and  Sir, 
"  On  Thursday  morning  I  had  the  honor  of  receiv- 
ing a  letter  from  major  Frazer,  by  which  he  informed 
me,  that  a  council  of  general  officers  would  be  assem- 
bled the  next  day  for  my  trial;  and  on  the  evening  of 
the  same  day,  I  received  another  letter  from  the  same 
officer,  acquainting  me,  that  instead  of  that,  a  court  of 
inquiry  would  sit  for  the  purpose  of  deciding  under 
what  point  of  view  I  ought  to  be  considered.  I  was 
also  told,  that  any  person  whom  I  should  appoint, 
would  be  permitted  to  accompany  me  as  my  counsel. 
Having  never  entertained  any  other  idea  of  a  court  of 
inquiry,  or  heard  of  any  other  being  formed  of  it,  than 
of  its  serving  merely  to  precede  a  council  of  war,  or 
some  other  tribunal,  for  examining  the  circumstances 
more  fully,  except  in  the  case  of  a  spy;  and  Mr.  Jar- 
vis,  lieutenant  marshal  to  the  provost,  not  having  suc- 
ceeded in  finding  the  person  who  had  been  named  for 
my  counsel,  I  did  not  take  the  pains  to  summon  any 
witnesses,  though  it  would  have  been  in  my  power 
to  have  produced  many;  and  I  presented  myself  be- 
fore the  court  without  any  assistance  whatever.  When 
I  was  before  that  assembly,  I  was  further  convinced 
that  I  had  not  been  deceived  in  my  conjectures.  I 
found  that  the  members  of  it  were  not  sworn,  and  the 
witnesses  were  not  examined  upon  oath;  and  all  the 
members,  as  well  as  every  person  present,  might  easily 
have  perceived,  by  the  questions  which  I  asked,  and. 
by  the  whole  tenor  of  my  conduct,  that  I  had  not  the 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   261 

least  notion  that  I  was  tried  or  examined  upon  an  af- 
fair on  which  my  life  or  death  depended. 

"  In  the  case  of  spies,  a  court  of  inquiry  is  all  that 
can  be  necessary,  because  the  simple  fact  whether  the 
person  is  or  is  not  a  spy,  is  all  that  can  be  the  object 
of  their  researches;  and  his  having  entered  the  lines  of 
the  enemy's  camp  or  garrison,  subjects  him  to  mili- 
tary execution.  As  that  accusation  neither  is  nor  can 
be  made  against  me,  I  humbly  conceive  that  the  in- 
formation I  received,  that  the  court  would  make  in- 
quiry concerning  what  point  of  view  I  ought  to  be 
considered  under,  could  not  be  taken  as  a  sufficient 
notice  of  their  having  an  intention  to  try  me  then;  but 
could  only  be  thought  to  signify,  that  they  were  to 
take  it  into  consideration  whether  I  ought  to  be  look- 
ed upon  as  a  British  subject  or  as  an  American:  that 
in  the  first  case  I  should  undergo  a  legal  and  impartial 
trial;  in  the  second,  I  should  be  set  at  liberty  on  my 
parole.  Judge  then,  my  lord  and  sir,  of  the  astonish- 
ment I  must  have  been  in,  when  I  found  they  had 
drawn  me  by  surprise  into  a  proceeding  tending  to 
judgment,  without  my  knowing  it  to  be  such;  and 
deprived  me  of  the  ability  of  making  a  legal  de- 
fence, which  it  would  have  been  very  easy  for  me  to 
have  done,  founded  both  in  law  and  in  fact; — when  I 
saw  myself  destitute  of  the  assistance  of  counsel  and 
of  witnesses;  and  when  they  abruptly  informed  me, 
that  after  the  procedure  of  the  court  I  was  condemned 
to  die,  and  that  in  a  very  few  days.  Immediately  upon 
receiving  this  notice,  I  sent  for  the  lawyer  whom  I  had 


262  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

originally  chosen  for  my  counsel.  I  here  inclose  his 
opinion  concerning  the  legality  of  the  process  held 
against  me;  and  I  beg  that  I  may  be  permitted  to  re- 
fer myself  to  him.  I  can  assure  you  with  the  utmost 
truth,  that  I  had  and  have  many  reasons  to  urge  in  my 
defence,  if  you  will  grant  me  the  favor  of  a  regular 
trial;  if  not,  which  I  cannot  however  suppose  from 
your  justice  and  humanity,  I  earnestly  intreat  that  my 
execution  may  be  deferred,  that  I  may  at  least  take  a 
last  farewel  of  my  children,  and  prepare  for  the  dread- 
ful change.  I  hope  you  will  return  me  a  speedy  an- 
swer; and  am,  with  respect, 

"  Isaac  Hayne." 

To  this  representation  the  town  major  returned  the 
following  answer.  "  I  have  to  inform  you,  that  your 
execution  is  not  ordered  in  consequence  of  any  sen- 
tence from  the  court  of  inquiry;  but  by  virtue  of  the 
authority  with  which  the  commander  in  chief  in  South 
Carolina  and  the  commanding  officer  in  Charleston  are 
invested:  and  their  resolves  on  the  subject  are  fixed 
and  unchangeable." 

Disdaining  further  discussion  with  relentless  power, 
Hayne  merely  solicited  a  short  respite,  to  enable  him 
for  the  last  time  to  see  his  children.  The  request  was 
granted  in  the  following  communication  from  the  town 
major.  "  I  am  to  inform  you,  that  in  consequence  of  a 
petition  signed  by  governor  Bull  and  many  others,  as 
also  of  your  prayer  of  yesterday,  and  the  humane  treat- 
ment shown  by  you  to  the  British  prisoners  who  fell 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    263 

into  your  hands,  you  are  respited  for  forty-eight  hours; 
but  should  general  Greene  offer  to  expostulate  in  your 
favor  with  the  commanding  officer,  from  that  moment 
this  respite  will  cease,  and  you  will  be  ordered  to  im- 
mediate execution." 

After  the  delivery  of  this  message,  the  amiable 
American  enjoyed  the  comfort  of  seeing  his  family 
and  conversing  with  his  friends.  During  this  interest- 
ing, this  awful  period,  he  discovered  a  dignified  com- 
posure; and  in  his  last  evening  declared,  that  "  he  felt 
no  more  alarmed  at  death,  than  at  any  other  occurrence 
which  is  necessary  and  unavoidable."  Very  different, 
indeed,  were  the  feelings  of  his  friends.  Mrs.  Peronneau, 
his  sister,  accompanied  by  his  children,  all  clad  in  the 
deepest  mourning,  and  manifesting  the  torture  of  their 
heart-rending  agony,  waited  on  lord  Rawdon,  and  on 
their  knees  supplicated  him  to  spare  the  victim!  But 
his  lordship's  "  resolve  was  fixed  and  unchangeable!" 
Anxious  to  terminate  a  life  of  truth  in  the  formalities 
of  honor,  colonel  Hayne  solicited,  in  a  second  letter  to 
the  stern  duumvirate,  permission  to  die  like  a  soldier. 
He  then  arranged  the  preceding  correspondence;  and 
on  the  morning  of  his  execution  presented  the  packet 
to  his  son  (a  boy  of  thirteen  years)  and  directed  him 
to  "  deliver  it  to  Mrs.  Edwards,  with  my  request  to 
forward  it  to  her  brother  in  congress.  Go  then  to  the 
place  of  my  execution, — receive  my  body,  and  see  it 
decently  interred  with  my  forefathers."  This  done,  he 
embraced  him,  imploring  the  divine  blessing  on  his 
orphan  children.  Dressed  with  his  accustomed  neat- 


264  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

ness,  accompanied  by  a  few  friends,  he  marched  with 
unruffled  serenity  through  a  weeping  crowd  to  the 
place  of  execution.  He  had  flattered  himself  with  the 
presumption  that  his  last  request  would  be  granted: 
quickly  the  sight  of  the  gibbet  announced  the  fallacy  of 
this  hope.  For  a  moment  he  paused,  but  immediately 
recovering  his  wonted  firmness,  moved  forward.  At 
this  instant  a  friend  whispered  his  confidence  that 
"  you  will  now  exhibit  an  example  of  the  manner  in 
which  an  American  can  die."  "  I  will  endeavor  to  do 
so,"  was  the  reply  of  the  modest  martyr.  Never  was 
intention  better  fulfilled:  neither  arrogating  superiority, 
nor  betraying  weakness,  he  ascended  the  cart,  unsup- 
ported and  unappalled.  Having  taken  leave  of  his 
friends,  and  commended  his  infant  family  to  their  pro- 
tection, he  drew  the  cap  over  his  eyes,  and  illustrated 
by  his  demeanor,  that  death  in  the  cause  of  our  coun- 
try, even  on  a  gallows,  cannot  appal  the  virtuous  and 
the  brave. 

The  proceedings  in  this  case  exhibit  a  prevarica- 
tion and  precipitance,  no  less  disreputable  to  the  au- 
thors than  repugnant  to  the  feelings  of  humanity. 
The  unfortunate  captive  is  first  informed,  that  a  court 
martial  will  be  convened  for  his  trial;  next,  that  a 
court  of  inquiry  will  determine  the  proper  mode  of 
procedure,  before  whom  he  will  be  allowed  the  assis- 
tance of  counsel;  then,  without  this  assistance,  that  he 
is  doomed  to  death,  in  consequence  of  the  delibera- 
tions of  the  latter  tribunal;  and  lastly,  that  the  bloody 
sentence  does  not  emanate  from  this  authority,  but  is 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    265 

the  inflexible  decree  of  the  two  military  commanders. 
Had  the  discovery  of  truth  and  execution  of  justice 
been  the  sole  objects  in  view,  those  who  well  knew 
what  was  English  law,  liberty  and  practice,  could  not 
have  erred.  Colonel  Hayne  was  certainly  either  a  pri- 
soner of  war,  or  a  British  subject.  If  the  latter,  he  was 
amenable  to  the  law,  and  indisputably  entitled  to  the 
formalities  and  the  aids  of  trial:  but  if  the  former,  he 
was  not  responsible  to  the  British  government,  or  its 
military  commander,  for  his  lawful  conduct  in  the  ex- 
ercise of  arms.  Unhappily  for  this  virtuous  man,  the 
royal  power  was  fast  declining  in  the  South.  The  inha- 
bitants were  eager  to  cast  off  the  temporary  allegiance 
of  conquest:  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  awe  them 
into  submission  by  some  distinguished  severity;  and 
Hayne  was  the  selected  victim! 

As  soon  as  this  tragical  event  was  known  to  gene- 
ral Greene,  he  addressed  colonel  Balfour,  demanding 
an  explanation  of  the  daring  outrage.  The  comman- 
dant replied,  that  "  the  execution  of  colonel  Hayne  took 
place  by  the  joint  order  of  lord  Rawdon  and  himself; 
but  in  consequence  of  the  most  explicit  directions  from 
lord  Cornwallis  '  to  put  to  death  all  those  who  should 
be  found  in  arms,  after  being  at  their  own  request  re- 
ceived as  subjects,  since  the  capitulation  of  Charles- 
ton, and  the  clear  conquest  of  the  province  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1780;  more  especially  such,  as  should  have 
accepted  of  commissions,  or  might  distinguish  them- 
selves in  inducing  a  revolt  of  the  country.'  To  his 

Vol.  II.  2  L 


266  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

lordship,  therefore,  as  being  answerable  for  the  mea- 
sure, the  appeal  will  more  properly  be  made."* 
The  order  of  lord  Cornwallis,  as  avowed  by  the  com- 

*  Extract  of  a  letter  from  lieutenant  colonel  Balfour  to  major 
general  Greene,  dated  Charleston,  September  3,  1781. 

"  I  come  now  to  that  part  which  has  respect  to  the  execution 
of  colonel  Hayne;  on  which  head  I  am  to  inform  you  it  took  place 
by  the  joint  order  of  lord  Rawdon  and  myself,  in  consequence  of 
the  most  express  directions  from  lord  Cornwallis  to  us,  in  regard 
to  all  those  who  should  be  found  in  arms,  after  being  at  their  own 
request  received  as  subjects,  since  the  capitulation  of  Charleston 
and  the  clearconquestof  the  province  in  the  summerof  1 780;  more 
especially  such  as  should  have  accepted  of  commissions,  or  might 
distinguish  themselves  in  inducing  a  revolt  of  the  country.  To  his 
lordship,  therefore,  as  being  answerable  for  this  measure,  the 
appeal  will  more  properly  be  made,  and  on  such  appeal,  I  must 
not  doubt,  every  fit  satisfaction  will  be  tendered;  but  as  the  threat 
in  your  letter  is  of  a  nature  which  may  extend  in  its  consequences 
to  the  most  disagreeable  and  serious  lengths,  I  cannot  dismiss 
this  subject  without  some  general  remarks,  still  referring  for  the 
particular  justification  to  the  opinion  and  decision  of  lord  Corn- 
wallis, immediately  under  whom  I  have  the  honor  to  act. 

"  And  first  I  must  conceive,  without  adverting  to  the  particu- 
lar cause  of  dispute  between  Great  Britain  and  this  country,  that 
on  the  subjection  of  any  territory,  the  inhabitants  of  it  owe  alle- 
giance to  the  conquering  power,  (in  the  present  case  a  voluntary 
acknowledgment  was  given,  and  consequent  protection  received;) 
and  that  on  any  account  to  recede  from  it,  is  justly  punishable 
with  death,  by  whatever  law,  either  civil  or  military,  is  then  pre- 
valent. 

"  To  justify  retaliation,  I  am  convinced  you  will  agree,  a  pa- 
rity of  circumstances  in  all  respects  is  required;  without  such, 
every  shadow  of  justice  is  removed,  and  vengeance  only  points 
to  indiscriminate  horrors." 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    267 

mandant  of  Charleston,  engaged  the  serious  attention 
of  Greene;  who  determined  to  resist,  with  all  his  pow- 
er, the  cruel  and  sanguinary  system.  The  officers  of 
the  American  army  entered  with  zeal  into  the  views 
of  their  leader;  and  urged,  in  a  unanimous  address, 
the  propriety  of  retaliation.  "  Permit  us  to  add,"  says 
the  concluding  paragraph  of  that  manly  paper,  "  that 
while  we  lament  the  necessity  of  such  a  severe  expe- 
dient, and  commiserate  the  sufferings  to  which  indi- 
viduals will  be  necessarily  exposed;  we  are  not  un- 
mindful that  such  a  measure  may,  in  its  consequences, 
involve  our  own  lives  in  additional  danger.  But  we 
had  rather  forego  temporary  distinctions,  and  commit 
our  lives  to  the  most  desperate  situation,  than  prose- 
cute this  just  and  necessary  war  on  terms  so  unequal 
and  dishonorable."  Greene  was  highly  gratified  with 
the  cordial  support,  spontaneously  pledged  by  his 
army;  and,  soon  after  his  departure  from  the  High 
Hills,  issued  a  proclamation,  severely  arraigning  the 
execution  of  colonel  Hayne,  declaring  his  determina- 
tion to  "  make  reprisals  for  all  such  inhuman  insults, 
and  to  select  for  the  objects  of  retaliation  officers  of 
the  regular  forces,  and  not  the  deluded  Americans  who 
had  joined  the  royal  army." 

The  inhabitants  of  Carolina,  whom  the  enemy  had 
expected  to  intimidate  by  the  wanton  sacrifice  of 
Hayne.  discovering  the  generous  and  determined  spirit 
of  the  American  general  and  army,  discarded  the  ap- 
prehensions at  first  excited,  and  flocked  to  the  standard 
of  their  country.  Emulating  the  ardor  and  decision  of 


268  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

the  regular  troops,  they  were  ready  to  subject  them- 
selves to  all  the  perils  to  which  they  might  be  even- 
tually exposed  in  the  just  cause  of  retaliation. 

The  British  officers  and  soldiers  were  not  unmind- 
ful of  the  changed  condition  of  the  war.  The  unplea- 
sant sensations  arising  from  this  state  of  things  naturally 
produced  a  serious  examination  of  the  cause;  and  the 
inquiry  was  not  calculated  to  inspire  confidence. 

The  feelings  which  it  excited  received  a  considera- 
ble addition  from  the  representation  which,  by  per- 
mission of  the  American  general,  was  now  made  by 
two  British  subalterns,  taken  prisoners  shortly  after 
the  execution  of  colonel  Hayne  was  known  in  the 
American  camp;  and  who,  as  soon  as  captured,  were 
committed  to  the  provost  by  order  of  general  Greene. 
Apprehending  that  they  would  become  the  first  vic- 
tims of  the  barbarous  policy  introduced  by  their  com- 
manders, they  addressed  their  friends  in  Charleston, 
describing  their  condition,  announcing  their  pro- 
bable fate,  and  referring  to  that  clause  in  the  American 
general's  proclamation,  which  confined  his  menaced 
retaliation  to  British  officers  only. 

The  honorable  and  reflecting  of  both  armies  perceiv- 
ed, that  the  justice  of  the  sentence  was  at  least  ques- 
tionable; that  inconsistency  and  passion  had  marked 
the  proceedings.  Nor  did  it  escape  observation,  that 
colonel  Balfour,  when  attempting  to  shield  himself  and 
coadjutor  under  cover  of  instructions,  withheld  their 
date.  This  suppression  naturally  excited  a  belief, 
that  the  orders  of  lord  Cornwallis  were  previous  to 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   269 

Greene's  recovery  of  that  part  of  Carolina  in  which 
Hayne  resided.  Although  his  instructions  might  have 
comprehended  the  case  of  the  ill  fated  American, 
while  the  country  around  him  was  subject  to  the 
royal  power;  yet  after  the  reconquest  by  Greene,  they 
could  not  be  applied  with  justice.  The  extraordinary 
condition  which  accompanied  the  respite,  corroborated 
this  conjecture.  It  was  generally  asked,  if  the  decision 
be  really  conformable  with  the  instructions  of  Corn- 
wallis,  why  should  Greene's  expostulation  be  prohi- 
bited? The  interposition  of  the  American  general  could 
not  prevent  the  execution  of  the  sentence,  if  correct; 
but  would  lead  to  a  discussion  with  his  lordship, 
which  might  demonstrate  its  injustice, — an  event  to 
be  courted,  not  avoided,  by  honorable  men,  dispensing 
death  at  their  pleasure.  It  occasioned  no  little  surprise, 
that  lord  Rawdon,  who  had  been  deemed  scrupu- 
lously observant  of  the  nice  bearings  of  honor,  should 
have  provoked  a  system  of  retaliation,  in  the  unplea- 
sant consequences  of  which  he  could  not  participate, 
being  about  to  depart  for  ever  from  the  theatre  of 
action! 

All  these  considerations,  combined  with  the  actual 
condition  of  two  of  their  comrades,  produced  a  meet- 
ing  of  the  British  officers  in  Charleston,  who  presented 
a  memorial  to  the  commandant,  expressing  their  dis- 
satisfaction at  the  changed  condition  of  the  war. 

It  was  reported  and  believed  that  the  memorial  was 
answered  by  an  assurance,  that  the  late  sanguinary 
precedent  should  never  be  repeated;  which  not  only 


270  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  die 

calmed  the  just  apprehensions  of  the  British  army,  but 
seems  to  have  influenced  the  future  conduct  of  British 
commandants. 

When  the  execution  of  Hayne  was  known  in  Eng- 
land, it  became  a  topic  of  animadversion.  The  duke  of 
Richmond  introduced  the  subject  in  the  house  of  lords, 
by  "  moving  an  address  to  the  king,  praying  that  his 
majesty  would  give  directions  for  laying  before  the 
house  the  several  papers  relative  to  the  execution  of 
Isaac  Hayne."  His  grace  prefaced  the  motion  with  a 
succinct  and  correct  narrative  of  the  capture,  condem- 
nation and  execution  of  the  American  colonel;  and 
charged  the  procedure  with  'illegality,' '  barbarity,'  and 
1  impolicy.'  He  read  to  the  house  an  extract  from  the 
proclamation  of  general  Greene,  in  which  the  execu- 
tion was  "  reprobated  as  a  cruel  and  unjustifiable  mur- 
der, and  severe  retaliation  was  threatened  on  the 
persons  of  British  officers.  His  grace  called  on  the 
house  to  institute  an  immediate  and  effectual  inquiry, 
as  the  only  mean  of  securing  their  own  officers  from 
the  dangers  which  hung  over  them;  and  of  rescuing 
the  British  nation  from  the  opprobrious  charges  of 
cruelty  and  barbarity,  under  which  it  labored  in  all 
the  states  in  Europe."  The  motion  was  strenuously 
opposed  by  the  lord  chancellor,  the  lords  Walsingham 
and  Stormount.  They  argued  that  "  as  his  majesty's 
ministers  had  declared  that  no  information  had  been 
received  relative  to  the  facts  alluded  to,  it  was  inconsis- 
tent with  the  dignity  and  gravity  of  the  house  to  proceed 
to  a  formal  inquiry  on  vague  and  uncertain  surmises; 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   271 

that  it  was  still  less  candid  and  equitable,  on  such 
slight  grounds,  to  call  in  question  the  characters  of 
brave,  deserving,  absent  officers.  But  were  the 
facts  true  and  authentic,  these  lords  contended,  that 
colonel  Hayne,  having  been  taken  in  arms  after  ad- 
mission to  his  parole,  was  liable  to  instant  execution, 
without  any  other  form  of  trial  than  that  necessary  to 
identify  the  person."  The  earl  of  Huntingdon,  uncle 
to  lord  Rawdon,  acquainted  the  house,  that  "  he  had 
authority  from  the  earl  Cornwallis  to  declare,  that  this 
had  been  the  practice  in  several  cases  under  his  com- 
mand in  North  Carolina."  The  doctrine  of  the  minis- 
terial lords  was  denied,  with  great  confidence,  by  the 
earls  Shelburne  and  Effingham.  It  was  asserted  by 
the  former,  "  from  circumstances  within  his  own 
knowledge,  that  the  practice  in  the  late  war  was  totally 
different.  A  great  degree  of  ignominy  and  stricter 
confinement  were  the  consequences  of  a  breach  of  pa- 
role: the  persons  guilty  of  that  offence  were  shunned 
by  gentlemen;  but  it  had  never  before  entered  into 
the  heoad  of  a  commander  to  hang  them."  The  earl  of 
Effingham  remarked,  that  "  the  practice  of  granting 
paroles  was  a  modern  civility  of  late  date,  not  yet  pre- 
valent in  all  countries;  and  that  the  lord  chancellor's 
quotation  from  Grotius  related  to  spies,  and  not  to 
prisoners  who  had  broken  their  paroles."  The  mo- 
tion of  the  duke  of  Richmond  was  rejected  by  a  large 
majority;  twenty-five  lords  voting  in  favor  of  the  ad- 
dress, and  seventy-three  against  it.* 

*  See  Gentleman's  London  Magazine  for  1782. 


272  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

The  arguments,  in  opposition  to  the  motion,  arc 
certainly  feeble.  Want  of  official  information  was  a 
good  reason  for  postponement,  but  not  for  rejection. 
If  the  principles  of  public  law,  relative  to  spies,  can 
be  applied  to  prisoners  who  violate  their  paroles,  they 
were  inapplicable  to  the  case  of  Hayne;  who  was  con- 
demned for  "  being  found  in  arms  after  he  had  become 
a  subject."  Nor  is  the  doctrine  of  the  earl  of  Shelburne 
entirely  correct.  "  Modern  civility"  has  indeed  me- 
liorated the  severities  of  war,  by  accommodating  pri- 
soners with  paroles.  Sometimes  the  indulged  captive  is 
permitted  to  return  to  his  country;  at  others,  he  is 
restrained  to  a  particular  town  or  district;  and  in  either 
case,  he  is  required  to  remain  neuter  until  officially 
exchanged.  Ignominy  justly  follows  the  violation  of 
parole  in  regard  to  limits;  but  the  breach  of  it  by  re- 
sumption of  arms  is  invariably  and  rightly  punished 
with  death.  Had  Hayne  been  guilty  of  this  offence, 
his  execution  would  have  been  indisputably  just:  but 
the  virtuous  American  neither  was  nor  could  be  char- 
ged with  infraction  of  parole,  by  resumption  of  arms. 
The  parole,  under  which  he  retired  to  his  seat  after  the 
capitulation  of  Charleston,  was  completely  revoked  by 
the  order  to  repair  to  that  city,  and  by  the  surrender  of 
his  person  to  the  British  commandant.  He  was  then 
permitted  to  return  to  his  family,  not  as  a  prisoner  on 
parole,  but  as  a  British  subject;  of  which  character 
the  reconquest  by  Greene  entirely  divested  him,  and 
restored  him  to  his  country,  his  liberty,  and  duty. 

The   ship,   in   which  lord  Rawdon  embarked  for 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   273 

England,  was  captured  by  some  of  the  French  cruisers, 
and  brought  into  the  Chesapeak.  Soon  afterwards  the 
propitious  termination  of  the  siege  of  York  placed  in 
our  hands  the  earl  Cornwallis.  Washington  had  it  now 
in  his  power  to  execute  the  intention  of  Greene;  but 
the  change  in  the  demeanor  of  the  British  comman- 
ders, and  the  evident  and  fast  approach  of  peace,  ren- 
dered the  severe  expedient  unnecessary.  He  therefore 
indulged  his  love  of  lenity,  and  conformed  his  conduct 
to  the  mild  temper  of  the  United  States;  forgiving  an 
atrocity,  which,  at  any  other  period  of  the  war,  would 
not  have  been  overlooked. 

Relieved  as  must  have  been  lord  Rawdon  and  colo- 
nel Balfour,  not  more  by  the  decision  of  the  house  of 
lords,  than  by  the  clemency  of  the  American  comman- 
der in  chief,  they  could  not,  with  propriety,  infer  from 
either  circumstance,  justification  of  their  conduct. 
The  rejection  of  the  duke  of  Richmond's  motion  grew 
out  of  considerations  foreign  to  the  real  merits  of  the 
subject;  and  the  lenity  of  Washington  may  be  truly- 
ascribed  to  an  unwillingness  to  stain  the  era  of  victory 
and  returning  amity  with  the  blood  even  of  the 
guilty. 

Had  this  principle,  as  amiable  as  wise,  governed 
lord  Rawdon  and  colonel  Balfour,  their  fame  would 
not  have  been  tarnished  by  the  blood  of  an  estimable 
individual,  wantonly  and  unnecessarily  shed.  How 
unlike  the  conduct  of  these  commanders  was  that  of 
the  American  chieftain  to  the  unfortunate  Andre!  At 
a  period  of  the  war,  when  a  strict  and  stern  execution 

Vol.  II.  2M 


274  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

of  martial  law  was  indispensable,  the  interposition  of 
sir  Henry  Clinton  in  behalf  of  an  acknowledged  spy  was 
received  by  Washington  with  patience  and  with  ten- 
derness; and  every  argument,  which  the  British  general 
and  his  commissioners  could  suggest,  was  respectfully 
weighed.  But  in  the  closing  of  the  war,  when  true 
policy  and  the  mild  tenets  of  Christianity  alike  urged 
oblivion  and  good  will,  lord  Rawdon  and  colonel  Bal- 
four hurried  an  innocent  untried  American  to  the  gal- 
lows, and  cruelly  interdicted  previous  communication 
to  his  general! 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   275 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

1  HE  deliberate  resolve  of  Greene,  guarantied  by 
the  solemn  and  spontaneous  pledge  of  his  officers, 
changed  the  character  of  the  war,  and  presented  death 
to  the  soldier  in  the  most  ignominious  form.  Death, 
in  the  field  of  battle,  has  no  terror  for  the  brave:  to 
expire  on  the  gibbet  shocks  every  noble  and  gener- 
ous  feeling. 

Major  Andre's  letter,  when  condemned  as  a  spy, 
emphatically  delineates  this  horror;  and  paints  in  vivid 
colors,  sensations  common  to  every  soldier.* 

*  Copy  of  a  letter  from  major  Andre  to  general  Washington, 
dated 

Tappan,  October  1,  1780. 
Sir, 

Buoyed  above  the  terror  of  death,  by  the  consciousness  of  a  life 
devoted  to  honorable  pursuits,  and  stained  with  no  action  that  can 
give  me  remorse,  I  trust  that  the  request  I  make  to  your  excel- 
lency at  this  serious  period,  and  which  is  to  soften  my  last  mo- 
ments, will  not  be  rejected. 

Sympathy  towards  a  soldier  will  surely  induce  your  excel- 
lency, and  a  military  tribunal,  to  adapt  the  mode  of  my  death  to 
the  feelings  of  a  man  of  honor. 

Let  me  hope,  sir,  that  if  aught  in  my  character  impresses  you 
with  esteem  towards  me;  if  aught  in  my  misfortunes  marks 
me  as  the  victim  of  policy,  and  not  of  resentment;  I  shall  ex- 


276  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Nevertheless  the  army  exhibited  on  its  march  the 
highest  spirit,  with  zealous  anxiety  to  reach  the  foe; 
and  conscious  of  the  justice  of  the  measure  adopted 
by  their  general,  with  one  feeling  cheerfully  submitted 
to  its  consequences. 

Proceeding  by  easy  marches,  Greene  crossed  the 
Wateree  near  Cambden;  but  still  separated  from  the 
enemy  by  the  Congaree,  he  was  obliged  to  make  a 
long  and  circuitous  march  to  gain  its  southern  bank, 
which  placed  him  safe  from  the  possibility  of  insult 
while  in  the  act  of  passing  the  river. 

Copies  of  the  proclamation  heretofore  issued  were 
distributed  throughout  the  country,  as  well  as  forward- 
ed to  the  hostile  headquarters,  and  to  Charleston;  that 
the  enemy,  being  duly  apprised  of  the  determination 
of  the  American  general,  might  without  delay  arrest 
its  execution  by  suitable  explanation  and  atonement. 
No  attempt  of  this  sort  was  made,  and  no  doubt  re- 
mained that  the  menaced  retaliation  would  take  effect 
as  soon  as  fit  subjects  for  its  application  should  fall 
into  our  hands. 

Having  reached  the  neighborhood  of  Friday's  ferry, 
the  army  passed  the  Congaree  at  Howell's;   having 

perience  the  operation  of  these  feelings  in  your  breast,  by  being 
informed  that  I  am  not  to  die  on  a  gibbet. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

your  excellency's  most  obedient, 
and  most  humble  servant, 
John  Andre, 
Adjutant-general  to  the  British  army. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   277 

been  joined  by  brigadier  Pickens,  with  his  militia,  and 
by  lieutenant  colonel  Henderson,  of  the  South  Carolina 
line,  with  a  small  body  of  state  infantry  lately  raised. 

The  two  armies  being  now  on  the  same  side  of  the 
river,  lieutenant  colonel  Lee,  with  his  legion  and  the 
corps  of  Henderson,  was  detached  in  advance,  followed 
by  the  main  body  in  supporting  distance. 

Greene  continued  to  pursue  his  march  with  unva- 
rying attention  to  the  ease  and  comfort  of  his  troops; 
preserving  unimpaired  their  strength  by  withholding 
them  from  exposure  to  the  mid-day  sun,  which  con- 
tinued to  be  keen  and  morbid. 

As  the  van  approached  Motte's,  the  exploring  ca- 
valry under  captain  O'Neal  fell  in  with  a  light  party  of 
the  enemy  detached  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
intelligence.  These  were  all  killed  or  taken.  From  the 
prisoners  we  learnt  that  colonel  Stuart,  when  inform- 
ed of  Greene's  passage  of  the  Wateree  and  movement 
towards  Friday's  ferry,  broke  up  from  his  long-held 
position  near  M'Cleod's,  and  retired  down  the  Santee 
for  the  purpose  of  meeting  a  convoy  from  Charleston, 
and  of  establishing  himself  near  Nelson's  ferry  on  that 
river,  which  information  was  forthwith  communicated 
to  the  general.  Persevering  in  his  plan  of  forcing  the 
enemy  to  confine  himself  to  the  region  bordering  on 
the  sea,  after  a  few  days  halt  in  the  vicinity  of  Motte's 
waiting  for  the  junction  of  brigadier  Marion,  then  on 
his  return  from  the  Edisto,  he  again  advanced.  Lieu- 
tenant colonel  Lee,  still  preceding  the  army,  soon 
found  that  Stuart  had  set  down  at  the  Eutaw  Springs, 


278  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

forty  miles  below  his  late  position,  where  the  convoy 
from  Charleston  had  arrived.  This  intelligence  was 
despatched  to  Greene,  who  was  disposed  to' stimulate 
further  retreat;  his  sole  object  being  the  recovery  of 
the  country,  and  which,  though  determined  to  effect, 
he  preferred  doing  without  further  waste  of  blood. 
Lee  was  accordingly  instructed  to  announce  rather 
than  conceal  the  advance  of  the  American  army,  in 
order  that  Stuart  might,  if  he  chose,  fall  back  a  second 
time.  During  our  march  on  the  5th  and  6th  the  van 
corps  met  with  not  a  single  individual,  excepting  two 
dragoons  from  the  enemy's  camp,  one  each  day,  bear- 
ing a  flag,  with  despatches  for  the  American  general. 
These  dragoons  successively  confirmed  the  continu- 
ance of  Smart  at  the  Eutaws;  adding  that  there  was 
no  appearance  of  change  in  position,  and  that  when 
they  left  camp,  it  was  believed  that  general  Greene 
was  still  near  Motte's  post.  Instead  of  receiving  the 
despatches  and  sending  them  on  as  was  customary, 
Lee  ordered  the  British  dragoons  to  proceed  to  the 
army,  with  the  view  that  if  general  Greene  continued 
to  prefer  annunciation  of  his  approach  to  the  enemy 
that  the  same  might  be  effectually  done  by  the  imme- 
diate return  of  the  flags,  with  orders  for  their  pro- 
ceeding to  Stuart.  Inasmuch  as  no  attempt  had  been 
made  to  conceal  the  advance  of  the  American  army, 
Greene  could  not  suppose  that  Stuart  remained  igno- 
rant of  the  fact;  and,  therefore,  in  the  course  of  the 
day  dismissed  the  flags,  sending  them  back  to  lieute- 
nant colonel  Lee  without  any  special  directions;  know- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   279 

ing  from  the  discretion  appertaining  to  the  officer  in 
advance,  that  he  would  consequently  be  governed  in 
his  disposal  of  them  by  intervening  occurrences.  The 
same  uninterrupted  quietude  continuing  during  the 
seventh,  Lee  became  convinced,  strange  as  it  appear- 
ed, that  the  British  leader  was  uninformed  of  our 
proximity;  and,  therefore,  determined  to  retain  the 
flags.  This  was  accordingly  done,  and  he  took  post  in 
the  evening  at  Laurens's  farm,*  within  eight  miles  of 
the  British  camp.  Greene  having  reached  Bendell's 
plantation,  within  seventeen  miles  of  the  enemy,  en- 
camped for  the  night,  determining  to  advance  at  an 
early  hour  the  ensuing  morning.  It  was  well  ascer- 
tained that  the  British  troops  were  forced  to  forage  at 
a  distance,  and  that  occasionally  parties  were  detached 
for  the  collection  of  vegetables  as  well  as  of  forage; 

*  This  farm  belonged  to  Henry  Laurens,  one  of  the  most 
respectable,  honorable  and  distinguished  statesmen  oi'  our  coun- 
try. He  had  for  many  years  been  a  member  of  congress,  and  was 
president  of  that  body  in  a  very  trying  period  of  the  war.  He  was 
afterwards  appointed  minister  plenipotentiary  to  the  United  Pro- 
vinces, and  was  unfortunately  captured  on  his  voyage  by  a  British 
cruiser.  On  landing  in  England,  he  was  sent  to  London,  when 
he  was  immediately  committed  to  the  tower.  From  this  confine- 
ment, and  its  eventual  consequence,  death  upon  a  gibbet,  he  was 
relieved  by  the  surrender  of  the  army  of  lord  Cornwallis;  from 
which  era  the  enemy  relinquished  every  hope  of  subjugation, 
and  turned  his  attention  with  diligence  to  the  conclusion  of 
peace. 

Laurens  went  from  England  to  France,  where  he  assisted  in 
the  negotiations  which  were  terminated  by  the  treaty  of  peace. 


280  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Lee  consequently  determined  to  take  every  precaution 
to  prevent  any  communication  during  the  night,  be- 
lieving it  probable  that  he  might  in  the  morning  fall  in 
with  some  of  the  detachments  employed  in  procuring 
supplies.  The  same  dead  calm  continued:  nobody  was 
seen  moving  in  any  direction, — a  state  of  quiet  never 
before  experienced  in  similar  circumstances.  While 
Stuart  spent  the  night  perfectly  at  ease,  from  his  igno- 
rance of  passing  events,  the  American  general  was 
preparing  for  battle. 

Our  whole  force,  including  the  reinforcements  from 
North  Carolina  (which  joined  us  at  the  High  Hills)  under 
general  Sumner,  the  corps  of  Marion  and  of  Pickens, 
with  that  lately  formed  in  South  Carolina  under  lieu- 
tenant colonel  Henderson,  amounted  to  two  thousand 
three  hundred  men,  of  which  the  continentals  (horse, 
foot  and  artillery),  made  about  sixteen  hundred. 

Lord  Rawdon,  as  has  been  before  mentioned,  led 
to  the  relief  of  Ninety- Six  an  army  of  two  thousand,* 

*  Extract  from  Tarleton's  Campaigns,—"  There  appears  to 
be  an  error  in  this  statement  of  the  force  marched  from  Charles- 
ton. Lord  Rawdon,  in  his  letter  of  the  5th,  to  earl  Cornwallis, 
says,  he  should  move  on  the  7th  of  June  towards  Ninety-Six 
with  the  troops  at  Monk's  Corner,  and  the  flank  companies  of 
the  three  regiments  lately  arrived.  Therefore  it  seems  more 
probable  that  lord  Rawdon's  whole  force  did  not  exceed  two 
thousand  men,  viz.  the  garrison  withdrawn  from  Cambden; 
lieutenant  colonel  Watson's  corps;  major  M'Arthur's  reinforce- 
ment; and  the  flank  companies  of  colonel  Gould's  brigade." 
Add  to  this  the  regulars  of  the  garrison  of  Ninety-Six  (four 
hundred)  and  the  flank  companies  under  Majoribanks,  between 
two  and  three  hundred. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   281 

to  which  was  annexed  the  garrison  of  that  place  under 
lieutenant  colonel  Cruger,  part  of  which  only  was  now 
with  Stuart. 

The  effective  force  of  the  hostile  armies  may  be 
fairly  estimated  as  nearly  equal,  each  about  two 
thousand  three  hundred.  A  portion  of  both  armies, 
and  that  too  nearly  equal,  had  never  as  yet  been  in 
action;  so  that  in  every  respect  the  state  of  equality 
was  preserved,  excepting  in  cavalry,  where  the  ad- 
vantage, both  in  number  and  quality,  was  on  our 
side. 

The  night  passed  in  tranquillity;  and,  judging  from 
appearances,  no  occurrence  seemed  more  distant  than 
the  sanguinary  battle  which  followed. 

Greene  advanced  at  four  in  the  morning  in  two 
columns,  with  artillery  at  the  head  of  each,  lieutenant 
colonel  Lee  in  his  front  and  lieutenant  colonel  Wash- 
ington in  his  rear. 

While  moving  with  much  circumspection,  in  the 
well  grounded  expectation  that  we  should  fall  upon 
the  British  picquets  unperceived,  captain  Armstrong, 
conducting  the  reconnoitring  party,  communicated  to 
Lee  the  approach  of  a  body  of  the  enemy.  This  occur- 
red about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  four  miles 
from  the  British  camp.  Forwarding  this  intelligence 
to  the  general,  and  presuming  that  the  descried  foe, 
consisting  of  horse  and  foot,  must  be  the  van  of  the 
enemy,  Lee  halted,  waiting  for  the  approximation  of 
our  main  body. 

Vol.  II.  2  N 


282  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

The  legion  infantry  were  drawn  up  across  the  road, 
the  cavalry  in  open  wood  on  its  right,  and  Henderson 
with  his  corps  in  thick  wood  upon  its  left.  Shortly 
the  British  appeared,  following  Armstrong.  The  action 
opened,  and  the  enemy  were  soon  forced  in  front, 
while  the  horse,  making  a  rapid  movement  under 
major  Eggleston,  gained  the  rear.  The  infantry  was 
destroyed,  several  killed,  and  about  forty  taken  with 
their  captain;  the  cavalry,  flying  in  full  speed  as  soon 
as  they  saw  the  legion  dragoons  pressing  forward, 
saved  themselves,  as  did  the  foraging  party  following 
in  the  rear,  consisting  of  two  or  three  hundred  without 
arms.* 

Pressing  forward,  we  soon  got  in  view  of  another 
body  of  the  enemy,  with  whom  the  action  recom- 
menced. Lieutenant  colonel  Lee,  advising  the  general 
of  this  occurrence,  requested  the  support  of  artillery 
to  counteract  that  of  the  enemy  now  opening.  Quickly 
colonel  Williams,  adjutant  general,  brought  up  captain 
Gains  with  his  two  pieces  in  full  gallop,  who  untim- 
bering  took  his  part  with  decision  and  effect. 

During  this  rencontre  both  armies  formed.  The 
American  having,  as  before  mentioned,  moved  in 
two  columns,  each  composed  of  the  corps  destined 
for  its  respective  lines,  soon  ranged  in  order  of  battle. 

The  North  Carolina  militia  under  colonel  Malmedy, 
with  that  of  South  Carolina,  led  by  the  brigadiers 

*  The  rooting  party,  being  unarmed,  hastened  back  to  the 
British  camp  upon  the  first  fire,  and  therefore  escaped. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    283 

Marion  and  Pickens,  making  the  first,  and  the  conti- 
nentals making  the  second  line:  lieutenant  colonel 
Campbell  with  the  Virginians  on  the  right;  brigadier 
Sumner  with  the  North  Carolinians  in  the  centre;  and 
the  Mary  landers,  conducted  by  Williams  and  Howard, 
on  the  left,  resting  with  its  left  flank  on  the  Charleston 
road.  Lee  with  his  legion  was  charged  with  the  care 
of  the  right,  as  was  Henderson  with  his  corps  with 
that  of  the  left  flank.  The  artillery,  consisting  only  of 
two  threes  and  two  sixes,  commanded  by  the  captains 
Gains  and  Finn,  were  disposed  the  first  with  the  front 
and  the  last  with  the  rear  line;  and  Baylor's  regiment 
of  horse,  with  Kirkwood's  infantry  of  Delaware,  com- 
posed the  reserve,  led  by  lieutenant  colonel  Washington. 
The  British  army  was  drawn  up  in  one  line,  a  few 
hundred  paces  in  front  of  their  camp,  (tents  standing,) 
with  two  separate  bodies  of  infantry  and  the  cavalry 
posted  in  its  rear,  ready  to  be  applied  as  contingencies 
might  point  out. 

The  Buffs*  (third  regiment),  composed  its  right, 
resting  with  its  flank  on  the  Charleston  road;  the 
remains  of  several  corps  under  lieutenant*  colonel 
Cruger  the  centre;  and  the  sixty-third  and  sixty-fourth 

*  This  regiment  was  one  of  the  three  which  had  lately  arrived 
from  Ireland,  and  had  never  before  been  in  action;  yet,  neverthe- 
less, fought  with  the  most  determined  courage.  The  regiment 
of  Maryland,  under  lieutenant  colonel  Howard,  was  opposed  to 
it;  and  such  was  the  obstinacy  with  which  the  contest  was  main- 
tained, that  a  number  of  the  soldiers  fell  transfixed  by  each  other's 
bayonet. 


284  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

(veterans)  the  left.  On  the  Eutaw  branch,  which  runs 
to  the  British  camp,  right  of  the  Charleston  road,  was 
posted  major  Majoribanks  at  the  head  of  the  light 
infantry,  making  one  battalion, — his  right  on  the 
branch,  and  his  left  stretching  in  an  oblique  line 
towards  the  flank  of  the  Buffs.  This  branch  issued 
from  a  deep  ravine,  between  which  and  the  British 
camp  was  the  Charleston  road,  and  between  the  road 
and  the  ravine  was  a  strong  brick  house.  The  artillery 
was  distributed  along  the  line,  a  part  on  the  Charleston 
road,  and  another  part  on  the  road  leading  to  Roache's 
plantation,  which  passed  through  the  enemy's  left  wing. 

The  front  line  of  the  American  army,  following 
close  in  the  rear  of  the  two  pieces  under  captain  Gains, 
began  now  to  be  felt  by  the  van,  who,  diverging  to 
the  right  and  left,  firing  obliquely,  took  post  on  the 
flanks  agreeably  to  the  orders  of  battle. 

The  militia  advancing  with  alacrity,  the  battle  be- 
came warm,  convincing  lieutenant  colonel  Stuart,  un- 
expected as  it  appears  to  have  been,  that  Greene  was 
upon  him.  The  fire  ran  from  flank  to  flank;  our  line 
still  advancing,  and  the  enemy,  adhering  to  his  po- 
sition, manifesting  a  determination  not  to  move. 

The  sixty- third  and  the  legion  infantry  were  warmly 
engaged,  when  the  sixty-fourth,  with  a  part  of  the 
centre,  advanced  upon  colonel  Malmedy,  who  soon 
yielding,  the  success  was  pushed  by  the  enemy's  left, 
and  the  militia,  after  a  fierce  contest,  gave  way, — leav- 
ing the  corps  of  Henderson  and  the  legion  infantry 
engaged,  sullenly  falling  back. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    285 

Greene  instantly  ordered  up  the  centre  of  the  second 
line  under  brigadier  Sumner,  to  fill  the  chasm  produced 
by  the  recession  of  the  militia,  who  came  handsomely 
into  action,  ranging  with  the  infantry  of  the  legion 
and  the  corps  of  Henderson,  both  still  maintaining 
the  flanks  with  unyielding  energy.  The  battle  being 
reinstated  grew  hotter,  and  the  enemy,  who  had  before 
gained  ground,  fell  back  to  his  first  position.  Stuart 
now  brought  into  line  the  corps  of  infantry  posted  in 
the  rear  of  his  left  wing,  and  directed  major  Coffin 
with  his  cavalry  to  take  post  on  his  left;  evincing 
a  jealousy  of  that  flank  where  the  woods  were  open 
and  the  ground  opportune  for  cavalry,  in  which  we 
excelled.  In  this  point  of  the  action,  lieutenant  colonel 
Henderson  received  a  ball,  which  stopped  his  further 
exertion.  His  corps,  however,  soon  recovered  from 
the  effect  produced  by  his  fall;  and,  led  on  by  lieute- 
nant colonel  Hampton,  continuing  to  act  well  its  part, 
the  American  line  persevered  in  advance,  and  the  fire 
became  mutually  destructive.  Greene,  determining  to 
strike  a  conclusive  blow,  brought  up  the  Mary  landers 
and  Virginians;  when  our  line  became  dense,  and 
pressing  forward  with  a  shout  the  battle  raged  with 
redoubled  fury. 

The  enemy,  sensible  that  the  weight  of  our  force 
was  bearing  upon  him,  returned  our  shout,  and  sus- 
tained himself  nobly  from  right  to  left.  Majoribanks 
now  for  the  first  time  was  put  in  motion,  which  being 
perceived,  lieutenant  colonel  Washington  with  the  re- 
serve was  commanded  to  fall  upon  him,  and  at  the 


286  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

same  moment  the  line  was  ordered  to  hold  up  its  fire 
and  to  charge  with  bayonet.  The  air  again  resounded 
with  the  shouts  of  the  advancing  Americans;  the  ene- 
my answering  by  pouring  in  a  close  and  quickly  re- 
peated fire.  As  we  drew  near,  lieutenant  colonel  Lee, 
at  the  head  of  his  infantry,  discerning  that  we  out- 
stretched the  enemy's  line,  ordered  captain  Rudolph 
to  fall  back  with  his  company,  to  gain  the  enemy's 
flank,  and  to  give  him  a  raking  fire  as  soon  as  he  turn- 
ed it.  This  movement  was  executed  with  precision, 
and  had  the  happiest  effect.  The  enemy's  left  could 
not  sustain  the  approaching  shock,  assailed  in  front  as 
it  was  in  flank,  and  it  instantly  began  to  give  way, 
which  quickly  afterwards  took  place  along  the  whole 
line,  in  some  parts  of  which  the  hostile  ranks  contend- 
ed with  the  bayonet,  many  individuals  of  the  Maryland- 
ers  and  of  the  Buffs  having  been  mutually  transfixed. 
The  conquering  troops  pressed  the  advantage  they 
had  gained,  pursuing  the  foe,  and  possessed  them- 
selves of  his  camp,  which  was  yielded  without  a 
struggle.  Washington  promptly  advanced  to  execute 
the  orders  he  had  received,  and  made  a  circuit  to  gain 
the  rear  of  Majoribanks,  preceded  by  lieutenant 
Stuart*  with  the  leading  section.  As  he  drew  near  to 
the  enemy,  he  found  the  ground  thickly  set  with  black 
jack,  and  almost  impervious  to  horse.  Deranging  as 
was  this  unlooked  for  obstacle,  Washington  with  his 
dauntless   cavalry    forced   his   way,  notwithstanding 

*  Colonel  Philip  Stuartj  now  a  member  of  congress  from  Ma- 
ryland. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   287 

the  murderous  discharge  of  the  enemy,  safe  behind  his 
covert.  Human  courage  could  not  surmount  the  ob- 
struction which  interposed,  or  this  gallant  officer  with 
his  intrepid  corps  would  have  triumphed.  Captain 
Watts,  second  in  command,  tell,  pierced  with  two 
balls.  Lieutenants  King  and  Simmons  experienced  a 
similar  fate;  and  Washington's  horse  being  killed,  he 
became  entangled  in  the  fall,  when  struggling  to  ex- 
tricate himself  he  was  bayoneted  and  taken.  Lieute- 
nant Stuart  was  now  dismounted,  being  severely 
wounded,  and  his  horse  killed  close  to  the  hostile 
ranks;  nor  did  a  single  man  of  his  section  escape, 
some  being  killed  and  the  rest  wounded.  The  gallant 
young  Carlisle,  from  Alexandria,  a  cadet  in  the  regi- 
ment, was  killed,  and  half  the  corps  destroyed;  after 
which  the  residue  was  drawn  off  by  captain  Parsons, 
assisted  by  lieutenant  Gordon. 

This  repulse  took  place  at  the  time  the  British  line 
gave  way.  Majoribanks,  although  victorious,  fell  back 
to  cover  his  flying  comrades;  and  major  Sheridan, 
with  the  New  York  volunteers,  judiciously  took  pos- 
session of  the  brick  house  before  mentioned  for  the 
same  purpose;  while,  with  the  same  view,  major  Cof- 
fin, with  the  cavalry,  placed  himself  on  the  left,  in  an 
open  field  west  of  the  Charleston  road. 

In  our  pursuit  we  took  three  hundred  prisoners  and 
two  pieces  of  artillery:  one  taken  by  captain  Rudolph, 
of  the  legion  infantry,  and  the  other  by  lieutenant  Du- 
val, of  the  Maryland  line,  who  was  killed, — a  young  of- 
ficer of  the  highest  promise.  As  soon  as  we  entered 


288  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

the  field,  Sheridan  began  to  fire  from  the  brick  house. 
The  left  of  the  legion  infantry,  led  by  lieutenant  Man- 
ning, the  nearest  to  the  house,  followed  close  upon  the 
enemy  still  entering  it,  hoping  to  force  his  way  before 
the  door  could  be  barred.  One  of  our  soldiers  actually 
got  half  way  in,  and  for  some  minutes  a  struggle  of 
strength  took  place, — Manning  pressing  him  in,  and 
Sheridan  forcing  him  out.  The  last  prevailed,  and  the 
door  was  closed.  Here  captain  Barry,  deputy  adjutant 
general,  the  brother  of  the  celebrated  colonel  S.  Barry, 
and  some  few  others,  were  overtaken  and  made  pri- 
soners. Lieutenant  colonel  Lee,  finding  his  left  dis- 
comfited in  the  bold  attempt,  on  the  success  of  which 
much  hung,  recalled  it;  and  Manning  so  disposed  of 
his  prisoners,  by  mixing  them  with  his  own  soldiers, 
as  to  return  unhurt;  the  enemy  in  the  house  sparing 
him  rather  than  risking  those  with  him. 

At  this  point  of  time  lieutenant  colonel  Howard, 
with  a  part  of  his  regiment,  passed  through  the  field 
towards  the  head  of  the  ravine,  and  captain  Kirkwood 
appeared  approaching  the  house  on  its  right.  Majori- 
banks,  though  uninjured,  continued  stationary  on  the 
enemy's  right,  as  did  Coffin  with  the  cavalry  on  the 
left.  Sheridan,  from  a  few  swivels  and  his  musketry, 
poured  his  fire  in  every  direction  without  cessation. 

During  this  period,  Stuart  was  actively  employed 
in  forming  his  line;  difficult  in  itself  from  the  severe 
battle  just  fought,  and  rendered  more  so  by  the  con- 
sternation which  evidently  prevailed.  The  followers  of 
the  army,  the  wagons,  the  wounded,  the  timid,  were 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    289 

all  hastening  towards  Charleston;  some  along  the  road 
in  our  view,  others  through  the  field  back  of  the  road, 
equally  in  view;  while  the  staff  were  destroying  stores 
of  every  kind,  especially  spirits,  which  the  British 
soldiers  sought  with  avidity. 

General  Greene  brought  up  all  his  artillery  against 
the  house,  hoping  to  effect  a  breach,  through  which 
he  was  determined  to  force  his  way;  convinced  that 
the  submission  of  the  enemy  in  the  house  gave  to  him 
the  hostile  army.  At  the  same  moment  lieutenant  co- 
lonel Lee  (still  on  the  right)  sent  for  Eggleston  and 
his  cavalry,  for  the  purpose  of  striking  Coffin,  and 
turning  the  head  of  the  ravine;  which  point  was  pro- 
perly selected  for  the  concentration  of  our  force,  too 
much  scattered  by  the  pursuit,  and  by  the  allurements 
which  the  enemy's  camp  presented.  Here  we  com- 
manded the  ravine,  and  might  readily  break  up  the 
incipient  arrangements  of  the  rallying  enemy;  here 
we  were  safe  from  the  fire  of  the  house,  and  here  we 
possessed  the  Charleston  road.  While  Lee  was  halted 
at  the  edge  of  the  wood,  impatiently  waiting  for  the 
arrival  of  his  horse,  he  saw  captain  Armstrong  (the 
leading  officer  for  the  day)  approaching,  and  not 
doubting  that  the  corps  was  following,  the  lieutenant 
colonel  advanced  into  the  field,  directing  Armstrong 
to  follow. 

He  had  gone  but  a  little  way,  when  the  captain  told 
him  that  only  his  section  was  up,  having  never  seen 
the  rest  of  the  corps  since  its  discomfiture  on  the  left 
some  time  before.  This  unlooked  for  intelligence  was 

Vol.  II.  2  0 


290  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

not  less  fatal  to  the  bright  prospect  of  personal  glory, 
than  it  was  to  the  splendid  issue  of  the  conflict.*  Not 
a  single  doubt  can  be  entertained,  had  the  cavalry  of 
the  legion  been  in  place,  as  it  ought  to  have  been,  but 
that  Coffin  would  have  been  carried,  which  must  have 
been  followed  by  the  destruction  of  the  British  army. 
Our  infantry  were  getting  into  order,  and  several  small 
bodies  were  sufficiently  near  to  have  improved  every 
advantage  obtained  by  the  cavalry.  Howard,  with  Old- 
ham's company,  had  just  recommenced  action  between 
the  house  and  the  head  of  the  ravine;  and  our  troops 
on  the  right  were  in  motion  for  the  same  ground,  not 
doubting  the  destruction  of  Coffin,  who  only  could 
annoy  their  flank.  The  recession  of  Lee,  and  the  re- 
tirement of  Howard,  who  was  at  this  instant  severely 
wounded,  nipped  in  the  bud  measures  of  offence  in 

*  When  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  took  charge  of  his  infantry, 
general  Greene  was  pleased  to  direct  that  the  cavalry  of  the  le- 
gion should  be  placed  at  his  disposal.  It  accordingly  followed,  at 
a  safe  distance,  in  the  rear  of  the  infantry. 

Being  sent  for  at  this  crisis  (as  has  been  related)  only  one  troop 
appeared.  Major  Eggleston  had  been  previously  ordered  into  ac- 
tion, and  had  been  foiled,  by  encountering  the  same  sort  of  obsta- 
cle experienced  by  Washington,  as  was  afterwards  ascertained. 

To  this  unfortunate  and  unauthorized  order,  may  be  ascribed 
the  turn  in  this  day's  battle.  Had  the  legion  cavalry  been  all  up 
at  this  crisis,  Coffin  would  have  been  cut  to  pieces,  the  enemy's 
left  occupied  in  force,  the  route  already  commenced  completed, 
and  Stuart  would  have  been  deprived,  by  the  change  in  our  po- 
sition, of  the  aid  derived  from  the  brick  house;  and  his  army 
must  in  consequence  have  laid  down  their  arms. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    291 

this  quarter;  while,  on  the  left,  the  'house  remained 
in  possession  of  Sheridan,  the  weight  of  our  metal 
being  to  light  to  effect  a  breach. 

This  intermission  gave  Stuart  time  to  restore  his 
broken  line,  which  being  accomplished,  he  instantly 
advanced,  and  the  action  was  renewed.  It  soon  termi- 
nated in  the  enemy's  repossession  of  his  camp,  follow- 
ed by  our  retreat,  with  the  loss  of  two  field  pieces, 
and  the  recovery  of  one  of  the  two  before  taken  by  us. 
Satisfied  with  these  advantages,  colonel  Stuart  did 
not  advance  further;  and  general  Greene  (after  des- 
patching lieutenant  colonel  Lee  with  a  proposition  to 
the  British  commander,  the  object  of  which  was  to 
unite  with  him  in  burying  the  dead,)  drew  off;  per- 
suaded that  he  had  recovered  the  country,  the  object 
in  view,  as  well  as  that  a  more  convenient  opportunity 
for  repetition  of  battle  would  be  presented  on  the  ene- 
my's retreat,  which  he  was  convinced  could  not  long 
be  deferred. 

The  battle  lasted  upwards  of  three  hours,  and  was 
fiercely  contested,  every  corps  in  both  armies  bravely 
supporting  each  other.  The  loss  was  uncommonly 
great, — more  than  one  fifth  of  the  British  and  one 
fourth  of  the  American  army  being  killed  and  wound- 
ed, as  stated  in  the  official  returns,  which  intelligent 
officers  of  both  armies  considered  short  of  the  real  loss 
sustained.  The  enemy  made  sixty  prisoners,  all  wound- 
ed;— we  took  about  five  hundred,  including  some 
wounded  left  in  his  camp  by  colonel  Stuart  when  he 
retired.  Of  six  commandants  of  regiments'  bearing 


202  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

continental  commissions,  Williams  and  Lee  were  only 
unhurt.  Washington,  Howard  and  Henderson  were 
wounded;  and  lieutenant  colonel  Campbell,  highly 
respected,  beloved  and  admired,  was  killed. 

This  excellent  officer  received  a  ball  in  his  breast, 
in  the  decisive  charge  which  broke  the  British  line, 
while  listening  to  an  interrogatory  from  lieutenant  co- 
lonel Lee,  then  on  the  left  of  the  legion  infantry,  ad- 
joining the  right  of  the  Virginians,  the  post  of 
Campbell.  He  dropped  on  the  pummel  of  his  saddle 
speechless,*  and  was  borne  in  the  rear  by  Lee's  or- 
derly dragoon,  in  whose  care  he  expired,  the  mo- 
ment he  was  taken  from  his  horse.  Many  of  our  officers 
of  every  grade  suffered,  militia  as  well  as  continen- 
tals; among  whom  was  brigadier  Pickens,  who  was 
wounded. 

The  conclusion  of  this  battle  was  as  unexpected  to 
both  armies  as  it  was  mortifying  to  ours.  The  splen- 
dor which  its  beginning  and  progress  had  shed 
upon  our  arms  became  obscured,  and  the  rich  prize 

*  Doctor  Ramsay  has  represented  the  death  of  this  highly  res- 
pected officer  differently,  from  information  which  no  doubt  the 
doctor  accredited. 

But  as  the  writer  was  personally  acquainted  with  the  transac- 
tion, he  cannot  refrain  from  stating  it  exactly  as  it  happened. 
The  Virginians  had  begun  to  fire,  which  was  not  only  against  or- 
ders, but  put  in  danger  Rudolph  and  his  party,  then  turning  the 
enemy's  left.  To  stop  this  fire,  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  galloped 
down  the  line  to  Campbell,  and  while  speaking  to  him  on  the 
subject,  the  lieutenant  colonel  received  his  wound,  of  which  he 
soon  expired  without  uttering  a  word. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    293 

within  our  grasp  was  lost.  Had  our  cavalry  contribu- 
ted their  aid?  as  heretofore  it  never  failed  to  do,  a 
British  army  must  have  surrendered  to  Greene  on  the 
field  of  battle.  But  they  were  unfortunately  brought 
into  action  under  difficulties  not  to  be  conquered;  one 
corps  cut  to  pieces,  and  the  other  dispersed,  in  effect 
the  same;  and  the  critical  moment  passed,  before  it 
concentrated.  Had  the  infantry  of  the  reserve  preceded 
the  cavalry  of  the  reserve,  Washington  would  have 
avoided  the  unequal  contest  to  which  he  was  exposed; 
and  by  patiently  watching  for  the  crisis,  would  have 
fallen  upon  Majoribanks  when  retiring  to  shield  the 
enemy's  broken  line.  Had  Eggleston  not  been  drawn 
from  his  post  by  orders  officiously  communicated  to 
that  officer  as  from  the  general,  when  in  truth  he  never 
issued  such  orders,  Lee  would  have  been  joined  by 
his  cavalry,  ready  to  inflict  the  last  blow,  so  clearly 
within  his  power.  Both  these  untoward  incidents  were 
necessary  to  stop  us  from  the  signal  victory  courting 
our  acceptance,  and  both  occurred. 

The  honor*  of  the  day  was  claimed  by  both  sides, 
while  the  benefits  flowing  from  it  were  by  both  yield- 
ed to  the  Americans:  the  first  belonged  to  neither  and 
the  last  to  us. 

Congress  expressed  their  sense  of  the  conduct  of 
the  general  and  of  the  merit  of  the  army,  presenting 
their  thanks  to  Greene,  and  to  every  corps  who 
fought  under   him   on   that  day;  presenting  him  at 

*  See  Appendix,  Q  and  Q. 


294  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

the   same  time  with  a  British  standard,  and  a  gold 
medal  emblematical  of  the  battle.* 

*  By  the  United  States  in  Congress  assembled,  October  29th, 
1781. 

Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  United  States  in  Congress 
assembled,  be  presented  to  major  general  Greene,  for  his  wise, 
decisive  and  magnanimous  conduct  in  the  action  of  the  8th  of 
September  last,  near  the  Eutaw  Springs,  in  South  Carolina;  in 
which,  with  a  force  inferior  in  number  to  that  of  the  enemy,  he 
obtained  a  most  signal  victory. 

That  the  thanks  of  the  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled, 
be  presented  to  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Maryland  and  Virgi- 
nia brigades,  and  Delaware  battalion  of  continental  troops,  for  the 
unpa'alieled  bravery  and  heroism  by  them  displayed,  in  advan- 
cing to  the  enemy  through  an  incessant  fire,  and  charging  them 
with  an  impetuosity  and  ardor  that  could  not  be  resisted. 

That  the  thanks  of  the  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled, 
be  presented  to  the  officers  and  men  of  the  legionary  corps  and 
artillery,  for  their  intrepid  and  gallant  exertions  during  the 
action. 

That  the  thanks  of  the  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled, 
be  presented  to  the  brigade  of  North  Carolina,  for  their  resolu- 
tion and  perseverance  in  attacking  the  enemy,  and  sustaining  a 
superior  fire. 

That  the  thanks  of  the  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled, 
be  presented  to  the  officers  and  men  of  the  state  corps  of  South 
Carolina,  for  the  zeal,  activity  and  firmness  by  them  exhibited 
throughout  the  engagement. 

That  the  thanks  of  the  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled, 
be  presented  to  the  officers  and  men  of  the  militia,  who  formed 
the  front  line  in  the  order  of  battle,  and  sustained  their  post  with 
honor,  propriety,  and  a  resolution  worthy  of  men  determined  to 
be  free. 

Resolved,  That  a  British  standard  be  presented  to  major  gene- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   295 

Not  a  spring  nor  a  rivulet  was  near,  but  that  in 
possession  of  the  enemy;  and  the  water  in  our  canteens 
had  been  exhausted  early  in  the  battle.  The  day  was 
extremely  sultry,  and  the  cry  for  water  was  universal. 

Much  as  general  Greene  wished  to  avail  himself  of 
the  evident  advantage  he  had  gained,  by  setting  down 
close  to  Stuart,  he  was  forced  to  relinquish  it,  and  to 
retire  many  miles  to  the  first  spot  which  afforded  an 
adequate  supply  of  water.  There  he  halted  for  the 
night,  determined  to  return  and  renew  the  battle. 

Marion  and  Lee  were  to  move  on  the  9th,  and  turn 
the  enemy's  left,  with  the  view  of  seizing  the  first 
strong  pass  on  the  road  to  Charleston,  below  the  Eutaw 
Spring,  as  well  to  interrupt  colonel  Stuart  when  re- 

ral  Greene,  as  an  honorable  testimony  of  his  merit,  and  a  golden 
medal  emblematical  of  the  battle  and  victory  aforesaid. 

That  major  general  Greene  be  desired  to  present  the  thanks 
of  Congress  to  captains  Pierce  and  Pendleton,  major  Hyrne  and 
captain  Shubrick,  his  aids  de  camp,  in  testimony  of  their  parti- 
cular activity  and  good  conduct  during  the  whole  of  the  battle. 

That  a  sword  be  presented  to  captain  Pierce,  who  bore  the 
general's  despatches,  giving  an  account  of  the  victory;  and  that 
the  board  of  war  take  order  herein. 

Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  United  States,  in  Congress 
assembled,  be  presented  to  brigadier  general  Marion,  of  the 
South  Carolina  militia,  for  his  wise,  gallant  and  decided  conduct 
in  defending  the  liberties  of  his  country;  and  particularly  for  his 
prudent  and  intrepid  attack  on  a  body  of  British  troops,  on  the 
30th  day  of  August  last;  and  for  the  distinguished  part  he  took 
in  the  battle  of  the  8th  of  September. 

Extract  from  the  minutes, 

Charles  Thompson,  Secretary, 


296  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

treating,  as  to  repel  any  accession  of  force  which 
might  be  detached  from  the  garrison  of  Charleston,  to 
reinforce  the  army;  while  the  general  continued  in  his 
camp,  actively  engaged  in  preparing  arrangements  for 
the  conveyance  of  the  wounded  to  the  High  Hills.  Ma- 
rion and  Lee,  approaching  the  enemy's  left,  discovered 
that  he  had  been  busily  employed  in  sending  off  his 
sick  and  wounded,  and  that  he  was  hastening  his  pre- 
parations to  decamp.  Despatching  a  courier  to  Greene 
with  this  information,  the  light  troops  made  a  circuit 
to  foil  into  the  Charleston  road  near  Ferguson's 
swamp,  and  to  take  post  on  its  margin;  being  an  eli- 
gible position  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  object  in 
view. 

In  our  march  we  received  intelligence  that  a  detach- 
ment from  Monk's  Corner,  led  by  major  M'Arthur, 
was  hastening  to  join  Stuart.  It  was  now  deemed  ad- 
visable to  recede  from  the  original  purpose,  and  by 
a  rapid,  though  circuitous  movement,  to  gain  a  more 
distant  position,  with  the  view  of  striking  at  M'Arthur 
so  far  below  the  Eutaws  as  to  put  him  out  of  possi- 
bility of  support  from  Stuart;  the  commencement  of 
whose  retreat  was  momently  expected.  To  accomplish 
this  arduous  move  in  time,  every  exertion  was  made. 
Fatigued  as  were  the  troops  by  their  active  service  du- 
ring the  preceding  day,  wich  the  long  morning's 
march  through  deep  sand,  and  scorching  heat,  yet  did 
they  gain  the  desired  ground  within  the  allotted  time. 

But  this  oppressive  inarch  was  useless.  Stuart  hur- 
ried his  preparations,  anU  commencing  his  retreat  on 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   297 

the  evening  of  the  9th,  had  brought  his  first  division 
within  a  few  milqs  of  M' Arthur,  when  the  light  troops 
reached  their  destined  point.  Thus  situated,  to  fight 
M'Arthur  became  rash;  as  it  could  not  be  doubted 
but  that  he  could  and  would  maintain  the  action,  un- 
til reinforced  by  Stuart.  Marion  and  Lee  were  com- 
pelled to  recede  from  their  purpose,  and  taking  post 
at  some  distance  in  the  woods,  on  the  right  flank  of 
Stuart,  waited  until  the  main  body  passed,  hoping  to 
strike  successfully  his  rear  guard. 

In  the  course  of  the  morning  of  the  10th,  the  junc- 
tion of  M'Arthur  was  effected  below  Martin's  tavern, 
and  the  British  army  continued  moving  towards 
Monk's  Corner,  which  is  one  day's  march  from 
Charleston. 

Gaining  the  rear  of  Stuart,  the  legion  dragoons 
were  directed  to  fall  upon  the  cavalry  attached  to  the 
rear  guard.  This  was  handsomely  executed  by  the  van 
under  captain  O'Neal:  he  made  most  of  the  rear 
party  prisoners,  two  or  three  escaping  to  the  infantry 
by  the  fleetness  of  their  horses. 

So  evident  was  the  dismay*  which  prevailed,  that 

*  After  the  battle,  lieutenant  colonel  Stuart  ordered  all  the 
arms  belonging  to  the  dead  and  wounded  to  be  collected,  which 
was  accordingly  done.  When  the  army  had  marched  off  the 
ground,  this  pile  of  arms  was  set  on  fire  by  the  rear  guard.  Many 
of  the  muskets  being  loaded,  an  irregular  discharge  took  place, 
resembling  the  desultory  fire  which  usually  precedes  battle.  The 
retreating  army  at  once  presumed  that  Greene  was  up,  and 
had  commenced  his  attack  on  its  rear.  Dismay  and  confusion 

Vol.  II.  2  P 


298  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

lieutenant  colonel  Lee,  not  satisfied  with  this  advantage, 
determined  to  persevere  in  pursuit  with  his  cavalry; 
hoping  to  find  some  fit  opportunity  of  cutting  off  the 
rear  guard,  with  a  portion  of  their  wagons  conveying 
the  wounded. 

Following  until  late  in  the  evening,  picking  up  oc- 
casionally the  fatigued  who  had  fallen  behind,  and  the 
stragglers;  he  received  intelligence  from  some  of  the 
last  taken,  which  determined  him  not  longer  to  post- 
pone his  blow.  Detaching  Eggleston  with  one  troop  on 
his  right,  to  fall  upon  the  flank,  Lee,  at  the  head  of 
the  other  two  troops,  moved  along  the  road  to  force 
the  enemy  in  front.  As  soon  as  Eggleston  had  gained 
the  desired  situation  the  charge  was  sounded,  and  the 
cavalry  rushed  upon  the  enemy.  Unluckily  the  wood, 
through  which  Eggleston  passed  to  the  road,  was  thick- 
ly set  with  black  jack.  It  became  more  difficult  as  you 
came  nearer  the  road,  and  the  rear  officer  of  the  enemy 
forming  his  guard  en  potence,  gave  the  assailants  a 

took  place;  wagoners  cut  their  horses  from  the  wagons  and  rode 
off,  abandoning  their  wagons. 

The  followers  of  the  army  fled  in  like  manner,  and  the  panic 
was  rapidly  spreading,  when  the  firing  in  the  rear  ceased.  Colo- 
nel Washington,  who  had  been  taken,  though  indulged  with  his 
parole,  was  accompanied  by  two  officers.  These  gentlemen  aban- 
doned the  colonel  and  galloped  off,  not  liking  present  appear- 
ances; but  as  soon  as  the  mistake  was  discovered  returned  to  their 
prisoner.  Washington,  after  his  exchange,  communicated  these 
facts  to  his  friend  major  Pendleton,  aid-de-camp  to  genera! 
Greene. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    299 

warm  reception,  flying  the  moment  he  delivered  his 
fire,  yielding  up  several  wagons. 

Eggleston  and  his  troop  were  roughly  handled;  his 
horse  being  killed, — himself  happily  escaping  although 
five  balls  pierced  his  clothes  and  equipments:  an  unex- 
pected issue,  and  which  would  not  have  taken  place, 
had  not  the  ground  arrested  his  progress.  Lee's 
squadron  was  very  little  injured,  having  none  of  the 
impediments  to  encounter,  which  accidentally  inter- 
fered with  Eggleston.  The  success  turned  out  to  be 
useless,  for  the  miserable  wounded,  more  miserable 
by  increase  of  pain  with  increase  of  march,  supplicated 
so  fervently  to  be  permitted  to  proceed,  that  lieute- 
nant colonel  Lee  determined  not  to  add  to  their  misery, 
and  to  his  trouble;  but  taking  off  his  own  wounded 
returned  to  Marion,  leaving  the  wagons  and  the 
wounded  to  continue  their  route. 

Greene  did  not  reach  the  abandoned  camp  in  time 
to  fall  upon  Stuart;  and  so  expeditious  was  his  pro- 
gress, that  every  endeavour  to  come  up  with  him 
with  the  main  body  was  nugatory. 

The  British  army  took  post  at  Monk's  Corner,  and 
general  Greene  returned  to  Eutaw  Spring.  Here  he 
found  some  of  the  enemy's  wounded, — left  because 
their  condition  forbad  moving, — with  some  of  his  own 
in  the  same  situation.  The  necessary  arrangements 
being  made  for  the  care  and  comfort  of  these  unfortu- 
nate individuals,  the  American  general  proceeded  by 
easy  marches  to  our  favorite  camp,  the  High  Hills  of 
Santee. 


300  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

This  retirement  from  the  field  became  indispensa- 
ble; not  only  because  of  our  diminished  force  from  the 
severe  batde  lately  fought,  but  disease  had  resumed 
its  wasting  havock,  brought  on  by  the  forty-eight 
hours'  hard  service;  throughout  which  we  were  expos- 
ed to  the  sultry  sun  during  the  day,  and  to  the  heavy 
dew  during  the  night.  Never  had  we  experienced  so 
much  sickness  at  any  one  time  as  we  did  now;  nor 
was  it  confined  to  new  levies,  as  was  customary,  but 
affected  every  corps;  even  those  most  inured  to  mili- 
tary life,  and  most  accustomed  to  the  climate.  Nearly 
one  half  of  the  army  was  disabled  by  wounds  or 
fever,  and  among  the  last  some  of  the  best  officers 
who  had  escaped  in  the  action.  General  Greene  hap- 
pily enjoyed  his  usual  health,  and  softened  our  misery 
by  his  care  and  attention.  Litters  were  provided  for 
those  most  afflicted,  and  all  the  comforts  which  the 
country  afforded  were  collected,  and  reserved  for  the 
exclusive  use  of  the  sick  and  wounded.  On  the  18th 
we  reached  the  High  Hills,  when  permanent  arrange- 
ments were  adopted  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
wounded,  and  to  check  the  spread  of  disease,  and  for 
the  plentiful  supply  of  wholesome  provisions.  Marion 
and  his  militia,  being  habituated  to  the  swamps  of  Pe- 
dee,  were  less  affected  by  the  prevailing  fever,  and 
continued  on  the  south  of  the  Congaree,  to  protect  the 
country  from  the  predatory  excursions  of  the  enemy. 
The  British  army  did  not  escape  the  insalubrity  of 
the  season  and  climate,  and  like  its  enemy,  was  held 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    301 

quiet  in  quarters;  their  chief  attention  too  being  called 
to  the  restoration  of  the  sick  and  wounded. 

Upon  lord  Rawdon's  sailing  for  Europe,  Cornwallis 
appointed  major  general  Leslie,  then  serving  under 
him  in  Virginia,  to  the  command  of  the  British  troops 
in  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia;  but  this  officer  did  not 
reach  Charleston  for  some  weeks  after  the  battle  of  the 
Eutaws. 


302  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

A  NEW  scene  now  opened  upon  the  American 
theatre.  The  expectation  announced  by  the  comman- 
der in  chief  to  the  general  in  the  South,  previous  to 
our  decampment  from  the  High  Hills  of  Santee,  be- 
came confirmed  in  the  course  of  the  last  month.  Ad- 
miral count  De  Barras,  the  French  naval  commander 
on  this  station,  communicated  officially  to  general 
Washington,  the  resolution  taken  by  the  count  De 
Grasse,  commanding  the  French  fleet  in  the  West 
Indies,  of  sailing  from  Cape  Francois,  in  St.  Domin- 
go, for  the  bay  of  Chesapeak,  on  the.  3d  of  August, 
with  a  powerful  fleet,  having  on  board  three  thousand 
land  forces.  Charmed  with  the  prospect  of  being  ena- 
bled at  length  to  act  with  the  vigor  congenial  with  his 
disposition,  Washington  hastened  his  preparations  to 
invest  New  York,  as  soon  as  the  expected  fleet  of  his 
most  christian  majesty  should  arrive.  Nothing  was 
wanting  but  one  decisive  stroke  to  put  an  end  to  the 
war,  which  his  daily  experience  of  the  embarrassments 
attendant  upon  all  the  measures  of  congress,  convin- 
ced him  was  at  this  time  indispensable  to  our  final 
success.  The  nation  was  absolutely  wearied  out;  vo- 
luntary enlistments  to  fill  up  our  ranks,  had  long  since 
vielded  to  the  enrolment  of  drafts  from  the  militia  for 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    303 

short  periods  of  service,  and  this  last  resort  had  proved 
very  inadequate.  Reduced  as  had  been  our  number  of 
regiments,  in  consequence  of  the  insufficiency  of  the 
annual  supply  of  men,  yet  they  remained  incomplete. 
When  Washington  took  the  field  in  June,  his  whole 
force  (including  the  army  under  La  Fayette,  the  gar- 
rison of  West- Point,  and  a  detachment  of  the  New- 
York  line  under  brigadier  Clinton,  posted  on  the  fron- 
tier of  that  state,)  amounted  to  something  more  than 
eight  thousand.  His  effective  force,  ready  to  act  under 
his  immediate  orders,  is  rated  at  four  thousand  five 
hundred.  Such  was  the  humble  condition  of  the  main 
army,  after  the  most  judicious,  active  and  persevering 
efforts  of  the  commander  in  chief  throughout  the  pre- 
ceding winter  and  spring,  supported  by  congress,  to 
bring  into  the  field  a  respectable  force. 

Diminutive  as  was  our  army  in  size,  yet  our  capa- 
city to  subsist  it  was  more  so.  Occasionally  its  sepa- 
ration became  inevitable,  to  secure  daily  food;  and 
therefore  we  may  congratulate  ourselves  that  our  ranks 
were  not  crowded.  The  four  Eastern  states,  upon  this, 
as  upon  many  previous  urgent  occasions,  took  effectual 
measures  to  provide  and  to  transport  all  the  necessary 
supplies  within  their  reach;  these  consisted  of  meat, 
salt  and  liquor.  Bread  was  still  wanting;  and  this  was 
procurable  only  from  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland,  so 
completely  exhausted  were  the  two  states  of  New  York 
and  New  Jersey;  having  been,  from  1776,  the  conti- 
nued seat  of  war. 

The  wicked  and  stupid  system  of  coercion  had  been 


304  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

pushed  to  its  extreme,  and  was  at  length  necessarily 
abandoned;  having  become  as  unproductive  as  it  had 
always  been  irritating.  We  had  no  money;  as  our  pa- 
per notes  (so  called)  had  lost  every  semblance  of  coin, 
except  the  name,  and  the  credit  of  the  United  States 
had  become  the  general  topic  of  derision. 

Tender  laws  had  been  enacted  to  uphold  it;  but  the 
more  we  attempted  to  compel  the  coy  dame,  the  faster 
she  retired  from  our  embrace.  Our  credit  became  ex- 
tinct; and  having  nothing  but  depreciated  paper  to 
offer  in  payment,  poverty  and  distrust  overspread  the 
land. 

In  this  distressing  crisis  congress  came  to  the  wise 
resolution  of  stopping  further  emission  of  paper,  and 
substituted  an  annual  requisition  on  the  states  for  the 
means  of  supporting  the  war.  Even  this  last  resource 
failed  to  produce  the  intended  effect,  the  states  neglect- 
ing the  calls  of  the  federal  head.  Confusion  and  disor- 
der had  reached  its  height;  and  Washington  himelf, 
the  last  to  despond,  began  to  apprehend  that  we  should 
fail  in  profiting  of  the  effectual  and  timely  aid  proffer  - 
ed  by  our  ally,  through  our  own  incapacity  and  im- 
potence. 

Soon  after  congress  adopted  the  resolution  above 
mentioned,  the  finances  of  the  nation  were  committed 
to  the  superintendance  of  an  individual; — a  wise  re- 
form, too  long  delayed. 

Robert  Morris,  of  Philadelphia,  a  member  of  con- 
gress from  Pennsylvania,  possessing  a  mind  penetra- 
ting and  indefatigable, — who  had  passed  from  early 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    305 

life  through  the  various  grades  of  commercial  pursuits, 
as  distinguished  by  his  enterprise  and  system,  as  by 
the  confidence  which  his  probity  and  punctuality  had 
established, — was  happily  selected  to  fill  this  arduous 
station. 

Compelled  by  the  confusion  and  want  which  every 
where  existed,  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  oifice 
sooner  than  he  intended;  having  on  his  acceptance 
stipulated  for  a  limited  suspension,  with  the  view  of 
completing  satisfactorily  the  various  prerequisite  ar- 
rangements. 

Discarding,  therefore,  considerations  forcibly  ap- 
plying  to  his  own  reputation  in  this  threatening  con- 
juncture, he  immediately  assumed  his  new  station, 
giving  his  entire  attention  to  the  restoration  of  credit. 
Promulgating  his  determination  to  meet  with  punc- 
tuality every  engagement,  he  was  sought  with  eager- 
ness by  all  who  had  the  means  of  supplying  the  public 
wants.  The  scene  changed;  to  purchase  now,  as  hereto- 
fore to  sell,  was  considered  the  favor  bestowed.  Faith- 
fully performing  his  promise,  our  wants  began  to 
disappear,  and  the  military  operations  no  longer  were 
suspended  by  failure  of  the  necessary  means. 

To  aid  his  efforts  he  very  soon  proposed  to  congress 
the  formation  of  a  national  bank,  which  expedient  was 
immediately  adopted;  and  this  institution  became  a 
convenient  and  powerful  engine  in  his  hands,  enabling 
him  to  smooth  the  difficulties  in  his  way.  Nor  was  he 
less  sagacious  than  fortunate  in  his  measures  to  bring 
into  use  the  annual  contribution  of  Pennsylvania  to 

Vol.  II.  2  Q 


306  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

the  federal  treasury,  by  undertaking  to  pay  for  the 
state  the  requisitions  of  congress,  on  being  authorized 
to  receive  the  taxes  imposed  by  the  legislature  to 
meet  the  demand.  This  masterly  negotiation  secured 
bread  to  the  troops,  the  last  important  supply  yet 
wanting,  after  the  patriotic  and  successful  efforts  of 
the  four  New  England  states  to  furnish  the  other 
articles. 

Strong  in  his  personal  credit,  and  true  to  his  en- 
gagements, the  superintendant  became  stronger  every 
day  in  the  public  confidence;  and  unassisted,  except 
by  a  small  portion  of  a  small  loan*  granted  by  the 
court  of  Versailles  to  the  United  States,  this  indivi- 
dual citizen  gave  food  and  motion  to  the  main  army; 
proving  by  his  conduct,  that  credit  is  the  offspring  of 
integrity,  economy,  system  and  punctuality. 

The  apprehensions  which  had  retarded  for  a  time 
the  contemplated  movements  of  the  army  vanishing, 
Washington  crossed  from  the  western  to  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Hudson  river,  having  previously  directed  the 
count  de  Rochambeau,  commanding  the  French  army, 
to  move  from  Rhode  Island.  As  the  count  approached 
the  confines  of  the  state  of  New  York,  an  officer  was 
despatched  to  him,  changing  his  direction  with  a  view 
to  bring  him  in  timely  support  of  an  enterprise  on  the 
eve  of  execution  against  some  of  the  enemy's  posts  on 

*  Six  millions  of  livres  tournais,  a  part  of  which  was  applied 
to  the  purchase  of  clothing  for  our  army,  and  the  balance  was 
drawn  by  bills  on  Paris. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    307 

York  Island.  The  French  general  very  cordially  and 
zealously  pressed  forward  to  contribute  the  desir- 
ed aid;  but  the  projected  plan  proving  abortive, 
Washington  fell  back  to  the  North  river,  where  he 
was  joined  by  the  French  army  at  Dobbs'  ferry  on  the 
6th  of  July. 

It  having  been  settled  to  strike  at  New  York,  (in  a 
conference  which  ensued  between  the  allied  generals, 
soon  after  the  decision  of  the  cabinet  of  Versailles  to 
co-operate  by  sea  in  the  course  of  the  following 
autumn,  was  known,)  all  the  measures  hitherto  adopt- 
ed pointed  to  this  object.  Of  themselves  they  were 
sufficiently  significant  to  attract  the  attention  of  sir 
Henry  Clinton;  and  he  accordingly  sent  orders  to  lord 
Cornwallis,  to  detach  a  considerable  portion  of  his 
army  to  his  support.  Before  this  order  was  executed, 
sir  Henry  Clinton  received  a  reinforcement  of  three 
thousand  men  from  England,  which  induced  him  to 
counteract  his  requisition  for  a  part  of  the  army  in 
Virginia,  and  to  direct  Cornwallis  to  place  himself  safe 
in  some  strong  post  on  the  Chesapeak  during  the  ap- 
proaching storm,  ready  to  resume  offensive  operations 
as  soon  as  it  should  blow  over.  Deficient  as  Washing- 
ton was  in  the  presumed  strength  of  his  army,  and 
apprized  that  sir  Henry  Clinton,  although  holding 
in  New  York  only  four  thousand  five  hundred  regu- 
lars (exclusive  of  his  late  reinforcement),  could  aug- 
ment his  force  with  six  thousand  of  the  militia  in  the 
city  and  its  environs;  he  began  to  turn  his  attention  to 
a  secondary  object,  lest  he  might  find  the  first  im« 


308  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

practicable.  The  army  of  Cornwallis  was  the  next  in 
order  as  in  consequence.  He  therefore  advised  La 
Fayette,  in  Virginia,  of  the  probability  of  such  results; 
directing  him  to  take  his  measures  in  time  to  prevent 
Cornwallis's  return  to  North  Carolina,  should  his  lord- 
ship, apprehending  the  intended  blow,  attempt  to  avoid 
it  by  the  abandonment  of  Virginia. 

Washington,  now  at  the  head  of  the  allied  army, 
for  the  first  time  during  the  war  held  a  force  capable 
of  continued  offence. 

His  effective  strength  was  not  more  than  nineteen 
thousand;*  but  this  body  might  be  greatly  augmented 

*  Congress  had  demanded  from  the  states  an  army  of  thirty- 
seven  thousand  men,  to  assemble  in  Januai'y.  In  May  our  whole 
force,  from  New  Hampshire  to  Georgia,  did  not  exceed  ten 
thousand;  nor  had  we  adequate  supplies  of  provisions  and  cloth- 
ing even  for  this  small  force. 

"  Instead  of  having  magazines  filled  with  provisions,  we  have 
a  scanty  pittance  scattered  here  and  there  in  the  different  states. 
Instead  of  having  our  arsenals  well  supplied  with  military  stores, 
they  are  poorly  provided,  and  the  workmen  all  leaving  them. 
Instead  of  having  the  various  articles  of  field  equipage  in  readi- 
ness to  deliver,  the  quartermaster  general  is  but  now  applying  to 
the  several  states  (as  the  dernier  resort)  to  provide  these  things 
for  their  troops  respectively.  Instead  of  having  a  regular  system 
of  transportation  established  upon  credit, — or  funds  in  the  quar- 
termaster's hands  to  defray  the  contingent  expenses  of  it, — we 
have  neither  the  one  nor  the  other;  and  all  that  business,  or  a  great 
part  of  it,  being  done  by  military  impressment,  we  are  daily  and 
hourly  oppressing  the  people,  souring  their  tempers,  alienating 
their  affections.  Instead  of  having  the  regiments  completed  to  the 
new  establishments,  (and  which  ought  to  have  been  so  by  the 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    309 

by  the  militia  of  New  Jersey,  New  York  and  Connec- 
ticut, as  well  as  by  the  garrison  of  West- Point,  and 
by  the  corps  under  brigadier  Clinton,  still  on  the  fron- 
tiers of  the  state.  Nor  can  it  be  doubted  but  that  he 
would  have  received  every  possible  aid  to  his  opera- 
tions, as  the  great  boon  for  which  he  fought  came  into 
our  possession  by  the  fall  of  New  York.  Fixed  in  his 
resolution  to  bring  to  submission  the  first  or  second 
army  of  the  enemy,  he  pressed  forward  his  prepara- 
tions for  carrying  New  York  (the  object  preferred)  as 
soon  as  the  naval  co-operation  appeared.  With  this 
view,  he  took  his  measures  with  the  governors  of  the  ad- 
jacent states  for  such  auxiliary  force  as  he  might  require; 
and  he  placed  his  army  in  convenient  positions  to  act 
in  unison  either  against  New  York  or  Staten  Island. 
The  latter  was  certainly  that  which  claimed  primary 
attention;  as  its  possession  by  the  allies  gave  a  facility 
to  naval  co-operation  against  the  city  and  harbor,  as 
important  to  a  combined  effort,  as  tending  to  hasten 
the  surrender  of  the  British  army. 

— — —  day  of  ,  agreeably  to  the  requisitions,  of  congress), 

scarce  any  state  in  the  Union  has,  at  this  hour,  one  eighth  part  of 
its  quota  in  the  field;  and  there  is  little  prospect,  that  I  can  see, 
of  ever  getting  more  than  half.  In  a  word,  instead  of  having 
every  thing  in  readiness  to  take  the  field,  we  have  nothing.  And 
instead  of  having  the  prospect  of  a  glorious  offensive  campaign 
before  us,  we  have  a  bewildered  and  gloomy  prospect  of  a  defen- 
sive one;  unless  we  should  receive  a  powerful  aid  of  ships,  land 
troops  and  money  from  our  generous  allies:  and  these  at  present 
are  too  contingent  to  build  upon."  Extract  from  Washington's 
Journal,  published  in  Marshall's  Life  of  Washington. 


310  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  not  unmindful  of  the  course 
selected  by  his  enemy.  He  strengthened  his  corps  on 
Staten  Island,  he  strengthened  his  post  at  Paulus 
Hook,  and  he  held  in  the  city  a  portion  of  his  dispo- 
sable force  ready  to  reinforce  either  station  which  the 
progress  of  his  adversary  might  render  expedient. 
Washington,  persevering  in  his  decision  to  bring  to 
his  aid  the  navy  of  our  ally  in  the  commencement  of 
his  assault,  determined  first  to  possess  Staten  Island. 
He  therefore  drew  large  bodies  of  his  troops  from  the 
east  of  the  Hudson,  and  pushed  all  the  preliminary 
preparations  for  vigorous  operations  against  that  island. 
Connecticut,  (always  true  to  her  principles,)  with  the 
virtuous  Trumbull  at  her  head,  was  ready  to  fill  up 
with  her  hardy  sons,  the  chasm  in  the  line  of  force 
east  of  the  Hudson;  and  Washington  had  so  often  ex- 
perienced the  zeal  and  fidelity  of  that  brave  and  vir- 
tuous people,  that  he  did  not  hesitate  in  reducing  his 
force  opposite  to  York  Island  in  order  to  strengthen 
himself  in  New  Jersey. 

This  state  had  been  roused  to  a  higher  pitch  of  en- 
thusiasm in  our  just  cause,  by  the  predatory  incursions 
often  repeated  in  the  Sound  since  the  expedition  of  sir 
Henry  Clinton  for  the  relief  of  Rhode  Island.  She  sent 
her  fat  beeves  to  feed  us,  and  her  willing  sons  to  fight 
by  our  sides. 

Safe  on  the  east  of  the  Hudson,  Washington  conti- 
nued to  augment  his  strength  on  the  west. 

This  course  of  action  was  not  only  adapted  to  his 
present  object,  but  was  supported  by  the  consideration 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    311 

that  if  events  should  compel  him  to  relinquish  his  de- 
sign on  New  York,  he  would  be  more  conveniently 
situated  to  press  the  destruction  of  the  enemy  in  Vir- 
ginia. 

In  accordance  with  his  original  design,  the  com- 
mander in  chief  continued  to  increase  his  means  of 
commencing  his  operations  with  the  reduction  of  Sta- 
ten  Island.  Magazines  of  flour  had  been  collected  in  the 
vicinity  of  Springfield,  in  Jersey;  to  which  place,  about 
the  middle  of  August,  the  line  of  that  state,  with  Ha- 
zen's  regiment,  was  detached,  to  cover  the  depot,  and 
to  hasten  the  completion  of  houses  and  ovens  then 
preparing  to  supply  bread  for  the  troops  moving  to- 
wards the  Hudson,  for  the  purpose  of  crossing  into 
Jersey  to  the  scene  of  action.  The  boats  destroyed  by 
Simcoe  had  been  replaced;  and  all  others  which  could 
be  procured  were  now  collected  at  places  con- 
venient to  Staten  Island,  mounted  on  wheels, 
ready  for  instantaneous  conveyance,  when  requisite  to 
transport  the  army  to  the  intended  attack.  The  last 
division  of  the  allies  crossed  the  Hudson  on  the  25th, 
and  assembling  in  the  neighborhood  of  Paramus,  halt- 
ed, waiting  apparently  only  for  the  arrival  of  the  French 
fleet  to  advance  upon  Staten  Island. 

Late  communications  with  admiral  count  de  Barras 
evincing  that  the  Chesapeak  had  been  selected  by  the 
count  de  Grasse  as  his  point  of  destination,  and  the 
short  period  allotted  by  that  officer  for  his  continuance 
on  our  coast,  more  and  more  impressed  Washington 
with  the  probability  that  he  might  be  compelled  to 


312  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

relinquish  his  first  object,  and  content  himself  with 
the  second.  Therefore,  while  seriously  preparing  to 
strike  at  New  York,  he  never  lost  sight  of  placing 
himself  in  the  most  convenient  condition  to  hasten  to 
Virginia,  should  he  be  compelled  to  abandon  that 
design. 

The  force  to  be  employed  in  the  South,  in  the 
event  of  such  a  change  in  his  plan,  had  now  passed 
the  Hudson,  with  its  van  near  Springfield, — detached 
thither,  as  has  been  mentioned,  for  the  ostensible  pur- 
pose of  protecting  our  magazine  of  flour;  but  in  case 
Washington  decided  to  turn  his  arms  against  Corn- 
wallis,  the  advance  of  this  corps  had  the  double  effect 
of  confirming  the  apprehensions  of  sir  Henry  Clinton 
as  to  New  York,  and  of  placing  it  nearer  to  Virginia. 
He  repeated  his  orders  to  La  Fayette  to  take  measures 
to  arrest  Cornwallis,  should  he  attempt  to  retreat  to 
the  South;  and  at  the  same  time  addressed  governor 
Jefferson,  urging  him  to  exert  all  his  powers  in  prepa- 
ring certain  specified  aids  of  men,  provisions,  wagons, 
and  implements,  which  the  conjuncture  demanded. 

Never  was  a  game  better  played;  and  the  final  de- 
cision taken  by  the  commander  in  chief  to  proceed 
against  Cornwallis,  grew  out  of  three  considerations, 
every  one  of  which  was  weighty.  The  French  admiral 
preferred  the  unfortified  bay  of  Chesapeaktothe  fortified 
bason  of  New  York  for  co-operation;  the  time  appropri- 
ated for  the  absence  of  his  fleet  from  the  West  Indies 
comported  more  with  undertaking  the  facile  enterprise 
against  lord  Cornwallis,  than  the  stubborn  opera- 
tion against  New  York;  and  the  expected  reinforce- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   313 

ments  of  the  army  had  in  a  great  degree  failed.  When 
too  the  situation  of  the  United  States  was  brought 
into  view, — which  was  thoroughly  understood  by 
Washington, — no  doubt  could  remain  of  the  propriety 
of  changing  the  scene  of  action  from  New  York  to 
Virginia.  Year  after  year  had  the  hope  been  indulged 
of  receiving  adequate  naval  aid:  at  length  its  approach 
was  certain.  To  apply  it  unsuccessfully  would  be  pro- 
ductive of  every  possible  ill;  and  our  debility  forbad 
hazarding  such  an  issue,  great  as  might  be  the  gain. 
Necessarily,  therefore,  did  the  commander  in  chief 
relinquish  his  first  object. 

This  change  was  communicated  to  count  de  Barras., 
who,  keeping  his  fleet  in  readiness,  sailed  on  the  25th 
with  his  squadron  for  the  Chesapeak,  expecting  to  find 
there  the  count  de  Grasse,  having  in  his  care  all  the 
heavy  ordnance  and  military  stores  for  the  intended 
operations. 

Pursuant  to  his  plan,  the  count  de  Grasse  left  Cape 
Francois  early  in  August  with  twenty-nine  sail  of  the 
line,  taking  under  convoy  a  very  large  fleet  of  mer- 
chantmen, richly  laden,  destined  for  Europe.  As  soon 
as  the  French  admiral  had  placed  his  charge  in  safety, 
he  steered  with  twenty- eight  sail  of  the  line  for  the 
bay  of  Chesapeak,  trusting  the  fleet  of  merchantmen 
to  the  protection  of  one  of  his  ships  of  the  line  and  a 
few  frigates.* 

*  To  this  admirable  and  judicious  decision  of  the  count  de 
Grasse  we  owe  the  propitious  event  which  followed,  and  which 
led  to  peace  and  independence.  Very 

Vol.  II.  2R 


314  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Although  the  British  admiral  in  the  West  Indies, 
sir  G.  B.  Rodney,  had  by  his  activity,  courage  and 
success  acquired  distinguished  renown;  and  although 
advised  by  the  British  ministry  of  the  intended  visit 
of  the  French  fleet  to  the  coast  of  America;  he  seems 
to  have  neglected  or  underrated  the  effect  of  such  an 
attempt.  Led  to  it  probably  by  the  persuasion  that  de 
Grasse  never  would  trust  the  rich  fleet  in  his  care 
across  the  Atlantic  to  a  single  ship  of  the  line  and  a 
few  frigates;  but  that  he  would  guard  it  with  an  ade- 
quate convoy,  which  would  necessarily  bring  his  force 
to  a  size  within  the  control  of  the  squadron  under  ad- 
miral Graves,  reinforced  by  that  now  committed  by  sir 
George  to  admiral  Hood,  with  orders  to  hasten  to  the 
Chesapeak;  thus  evincing  his  knowledge  of  the  inten- 
tion of  his  adversary.  Hood  lost  not  a  moment  in  exe- 
cuting his  orders,  and  Math  press  of  sail  shaped  his 
course,  at  the  head  of  fourteen  sail  of  the  line,  for  the 
bay  of  Chesapeak,  where  he  arrived  on  the  25th — the 
very  day  count  de  Barras  left  Rhode  Island,  and  the 
last  division  of  the  American  army,  intended  to  act 
against  Cornwallis,  crossed  the  Hudson. 

Finding  the  Chesapeak  empty,  he  continued  along 
our  coast,  looking  as  he  passed  into  the  Delaware, 

Very  properly  did  congress  take  care  of  the  relatives  of  the 
count  when  lately  so  oppressed  with  adversity.  Sir  G.  B.  Rodney 
was  completely  deceived:  for  he  would  not  for  a  moment  believe 
that  the  French  admiral  would  risk  such  a  valuable  fleet  with 
such  slight  protection,  and  therefore  detached  only  fourteen  sail 
of  the  line  to  our  coast,  which  secured  to  our  ally  the  naval  as- 
cendency so  essential  to  our  success. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   315 

which,  like  the  Chesapeak,  was  unoccupied,  and  on 
the  28th  arrived  at  Sandy  Hook.  Admiral  Graves, 
thus  strengthened,  although  he  had  with  him  but  five 
ships  of  the  line  fit  for  service,  put  to  sea  on  the  same 
day;  hoping  either  to  fall  in  with  count  de  Barras,— 
of  whose  departure  from  Rhode  Island  he  was  just 
apprized, — or  with  the  French  West  India  fleet,  before 
the  intended  junction  could  be  effected.  Most  ruinous 
would  have  been  the  consequence  had  fortune  favored 
his  attempt;  especially  should  he  have  approached  de 
Barras,  conducting  not  only  a  very  inferior  squadron, 
but  having  in  his  care  all  the  military  supplies  requi- 
site for  the  investiture  of  the  British  army  in  Virginia. 

He  met  with  neither.  De  Barras  having  very  judi- 
ciously baffled  such  object  by  going  far  out  to  sea, 
and  de  Grasse  having  arrived  in  the  Chesapeak  on 
the  30th,  long  before  the  British  admiral  reached  the 
latitude  of  the  capes  of  Virginia. 

As  soon  as  he  anchored  he  was  boarded  by  an  offi- 
cer from  La  Fayette,  announcing  his  situation  and  that 
of  the  enemy.  The  count  immediately  detached  four 
ships  of  the  line  to  block  up  York  river,  and  employ- 
ed some  of  his  frigates  in  conveying  the  marquis 
St.  Simon,  with  the  French  reinforcement  under  his 
orders,  up  James  river  for  the  purpose  of  joining  La 
Fayette. 

On  the  5th  of  September  the  van  of  the  British 
fleet  appeared  off  Cape  Henry.  De  Grasse  waited 
only  to  ascertain  its  character,  doubtful  whether  it 
might  not  be  the  expected  squadron   from   Rhode 


316  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Island.  Signals  unanswered  demonstrated  that  the 
fleet  was  British,  and  every  moment  brought  into 
view  additional  strength. 

The  doubt  as  to  character  being  removed,  the 
French  admiral  took  his  part  with  decision  and  gal- 
lantry. He  slipped  cable  and  put  to  sea,  determined  to 
bring  his  enemy  to  battle.  This  was  not  declined,  al- 
though Graves  had  but  nineteen  ships  of  the  line  to 
contend  against  twenty-four. 

The  opinion  of  the  day  was  unfavorable  to  the 
conduct  of  the  British  admiral,  reprehending  with 
asperity  his  mode  of  entering  into  battle.  Hood  with 
his  (the  van  division)  leading  handsomely  in  a  com- 
pact body,  was  closing  fast  with  the  adverse  fleet, 
when  the  admiral  hoisted  the  signal  to  tack,  throwing 
Hood  off  and  putting  Drake  with  the  rear  division 
ahead.  It  was  contended  that,  excelling  in  seaman- 
ship, and  inferior  in  number  of  ships,  he  ought  to 
have  supported  Hood;  inasmuch  as  he  would  thus 
have  brought  on  action  close  in  with  the  coast,  which 
would  have  lessened  the  effect  of  the  superior  strength 
to  which  he  was  opposed:  whereas,  by  the  course 
adopted,  he  indulged  his  adversary  in  gaining  sea 
room,  the  object  in  view,  indispensable  to  the  full 
application  of  his  superior  force. 

If  the  suggestion  be  correct,  truly  may  be  ascribed 
the  heavy  disaster  which  ensued  to  this  deviation  from 
the  tract  of  genius.  It  is  thus  on  sea  as  well  as  on  land, 
that  nations  suffer  by  not  searching  for  superior  talents 
when  they  stake  themselves  on  the  conduct  of  an  in- 
dividual. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    317 

France  and  England  have  for  centuries  fought  by- 
sea  and  by  land.  Each  preserves  its  ancient  system, 
improved  by  experience,  adhering  however  to  first 
principles  long  established.  At  sea  the  French  strive 
to  disable  the  vessel  by  destroying  the  masts  and 
rigging.  The  English,  on  the  contrary,  aim  at  the 
hull  and  press  into  close  action,  boarding  as  soon  as 
possible. 

The  French  theory  seems  to  be  supported  by 
reason.  For  by  diminishing  the  means  of  motion, 
which  appears  material,  the  ship  is  rendered  unfit  for 
effective  action  and  thrown  out  of  line;  we  are  conse- 
quently led  to  conclude  that  victory  ought  to  follow 
the  French  system;  but  experience,  the  correcter  of 
human  calculations,  proves  the  fallacy  of  this  con- 
clusion. 

England  has  always  beaten  France  at  sea,  and  for  a 
century  past  a  drawn  battle  upon  that  element,  with 
equality  of  force,  seems  to  be  the  utmost  glory  at- 
tainable by  the  latter.  The  English  possess  an  advan- 
tage growing  out  of  their  extensive  commerce,  which 
must  ever  secure  to  that  nation  naval  superiority,  so 
long  as  such  a  state  of  commerce  shall  continue.  The 
British  sailor  is  unequalled  in  Europe,  nor  will  he  be 
ever  matched  but  by  the  American  seaman,  who  like 
him  is  formed  in  the  same  manner. 

It  is  singular  but  true  that  the  British  genius  seems 
latterly  more  to  excel  on  the  water  than  on  the  land. 
Whether  this  be  the  result  of  her  insular  situation, 
which  points  to  the  ocean  as  the  proper  theatre  for 


318  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

private  and  public  exertion,  or  whether  it  be  accident, 
remains  wrapt  in  doubt;  but  for  a  long  period  there 
has  been  a  striking  disparity  in  the  achievements  of 
her  admirals  and  generals,  and  this  disparity  has  be- 
come more  striking  during  the  present  war. 

Formerly  she  could  boast  of  her  Marlborough,  her 
Peterborough,  and  her  Wolfe:  latterly  not  a  single 
soldier  has  appeared  entitled  to  the  first  rank.  Yet  she 
abounds  in  good  officers,  and  her  soldiers  equal  any 
on  earth.  Cornwallis  stands  first  in  the  last  age;  but 
his  exploits  do  not  place  him  along  the  side  of  Marl- 
borough. Lord  Rawdon's  early  service  gave  high 
promise  of  future  eminence;  but  he  has  been  per- 
mitted to  waste  his  talents  in  retirement. 

France  on  the  other  hand  shines  on  land.  In  every 
period  of  her  history  we  find  her  marshals,  consum- 
mate in  the  art  of  war,  sustaining  by  their  genius  the 
splendor  of  her  arms. 

It  is,  perhaps,  happy  for  the  human  race  that  neither 
nation  is  alike  great  on  both  elements,  or  the  civilized 
world  would  again  be  brought  under  the  yoke  of  one 
master.* 

Both  fleets  were  now  standing  on  the  same  tack, 
the  British  holding  what  the  sailor's  call  the  weather- 
gage.f    About  four  in  the  afternoon  the  leading  divi- 

*  "  And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days  there  went  out  a  decree 
from  Caesar  Augustus  that  all  the  world  should  be  taxed."  St. 
Luke,  ii.  1. — Give  to  the  emperor  of  France  the  British  fleet,  and 
we  shall  soon  read  and  feel  a  similar  decree. 

t  A  technical  term,  which  signifies  the  keeping  of  the  wind- 
ward of  your  object. 


Southern  Depart m entqf  the  United  States.    319 

sions,  with  a  few  ships  of  the  centre,  bore  down  upon 
each  other,  and  fought  with  that  determined  courage 
wlych  rivalry  and  discipline  seldom  fail  to  produce. 
These  were  roughly  handled,  the  remainder  never 
exchanging  a  ball.  The  approach  of  night  put  an  end 
to  this  partial  engagement;  which,  although  the  ad- 
verse fleets  continued  for  four  days  near  to  each  other, 
was  not  renewed.  Drake's  division  suffered  consi- 
derably, so  much  so  as  to  be  deemed  incapable  of 
further  action  until  refitted.  One  ship  was  so  much 
damaged  as  to  be  abandoned  and  burnt.  The  French 
fleet  did  not  suffer  equally;  and,  having  the  wind  for 
four  days  after  the  battle,  might  have  readily  re- 
engaged. 

Drawing  off,  de  Grasse  returned  into  the  bay  on 
the  10th,  where  he  found  his  squadron  from  Rhode 
Island  safely  moored,  with  the  fleet  of  transports  bear- 
ing the  battering  cannon  and  other  necessary  imple- 
ments of  war.  Admiral  Graves,  notwithstanding  his 
crippled  condition,  approached  the  capes,  when,  find- 
ing the  bay  occupied  by  the  whole  naval  force  of  the 
enemy,  he  bore  away  for  New  York. 

This  battle,  like  most  fought  at  sea,  being  indeci- 
sive, both  sides,  as  is  common  in  such  cases,  claimed 
the  victory.  The  British  supported  their  claim  by  the 
acknowledged  fact,  that  the  French  admiral  might  at 
pleasure  have  renewed  the  action,  and  declining  to  do 
so,  they  contended  he  necessarily  admitted  his  defeat. 
Whereas  the  French  maintained  their  title  by  the 
equally  acknowledged  fact,  that  they  fought  for  the 


320  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

undisturbed  possession  of  the  Chesapeak;  its  pos- 
session being  necessary  to  the  capture  of  a  British 
army,  the  object  which  brought  them  to  the  Ameri- 
can coast;  and  that  this  possession  was  yielded  by  the 
enemy's  return  into  port.  Nor  can  a  doubt  exist,  if 
title  to  victory  rests  upon  the  accomplishment  of  the 
end  proposed  by  hazarding  battle,  that  the  French 
admiral's  pretensions  upon  this  occasion  are  com- 
pletely supported;  and,  with  his  superiority  of  force, 
it  was  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  a  different  result 
could  have  occurred. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   321 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Jr  URSUING  in  appearance,  with  unrelaxed  effort, 
those  measures  which  indicated  an  attempt  upon 
Staten  Island,  and  continuing  to  point  the  march  of 
his  troops  towards  that  place  to  the  last  moment, 
Washington  suddenly  turned  his  back  upon  New 
York,  directing  his  course  for  the  Delaware, — having 
under  him  a  detachment  from  the  American  army,  con- 
sisting of  Scammel's  light  infantry  of  the  New  England 
line,  Anget's  regiment  of  Rhode  Island,  Hazen's  re- 
giment, two  regiments  from  the  line  of  New  York, 
the  residue  of  the  Jersey  line,  and  Lamb's  regiment  of 
artillery,  amounting  altogether  to  two  thousand  effec- 
tives, with  the  French  army  under  count  Rochambeau. 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  seems  to  have  been  so  thoroughly 
persuaded  that  New  York  was  the  sole  object  of  his  foe, 
as  to  have  adhered  to  such  conviction  until  he  was 
assured  that  the  van  division  of  the  allied  army  had 
actually  passed  the  Delaware.  Then  he  discovered 
that  the  army  in  Virginia  was  the  intended  victim; 
but,  instead  of  instantly  taking  measures  for  its  relief, 
he  fell  with  fury  upon  Connecticut,*  vainly  presum- 

*  A  strong  corps  was  placed  under  general  Arnold,  who  em- 
barking at  New  York  went  up  the  Sound.  He  landed  at  New 
London,  where  we  had  a  considerable  collection  of  naval  stores, 

Vol.  II.  2  S 


322  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

ing  that  he  would  thereby  recal  Washington  from  the 
South. 

Never  was  a  military  commander  more  completely 
deceived,  whether  we  regard  sir  Henry  Clinton's 
conception  of  his  enemy's  design,  or  the  measures 
adopted  with  the  view  of  frustrating  that  design  when 
discovered. 

It  did  not  require  any  great  cast  of  mind  to  have 
known  that  New  York  or  Virginia  must  be  the 
destined  object;  inasmuch  as  the  only  force  which 
could  effectually  co-operate  with   the  navy  of  our 

This  town  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  New  Thames,  and  was 
defended  by  two  forts,  one  called  fort  Trumbull,  and  the  other 
fort  Griswold.  On  the  appearance  of  Arnold,  fort  Trumbull  was 
evacuated,  and  the  garrison  drawn  into  fort  Griswold,  where 
lieutenant  colonel  Ledyard  commanded  with  only  one  hundred 
and  sixty  men. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Eyre,  at  the  head  of  nearly  three  regiments, 
summoned  Ledyard  to  surrender,  which  being  refused,  Eyre  ad- 
vanced with  fixed  bayonets.  Never  during  the  war  was  more 
gallantry  displayed,  than  on  this  occasion,  both  by  the  assailant 
<md  the  assailed.  At  length  the  British  made  a  lodgment  in  our 
ditch,  and  forced  their  way  by  the  bayonet  through  the  embra- 
sures. Eyre  was  killed,  as  was  major  Montgomery,  second  in 
command,  and  nearly  two  hundred  privates  were  killed  and 
wounded.  The  intrepid  Ledyard,  being  overpowered,  delivered 
his  sword  to  the  conqueror,  who,  to  his  eternal  disgrace,  plung- 
ed it  into  the  bosom  of  his  conquered  antagonist.  This  bloody 
example  was  followed,  and  the  carnage  was  continued  by  the 
slaughter  of  the  greater  part  of  the  garrison.  The  town  and  every 
thing  in  it  was  consumed  by  fire,  believed  by  the  Americans  to 
be  done  intentionally,  but  ascribed  to  accident  by  the  enemy. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   323 

ally  was  the  army  of  Washington  and  the  army  of 
count  Rochambeau;  one  of  which  was  encamped  on 
the  Hudson  and  the  other  at  Rhode  Island.  The 
meaning  of  naval  aid  was  to  bring  into  effectual  action 
our  land  force. 

That  effectual  co-operation  could  not  take  place  in 
the  South:  for  there  our  force  was  not  adequate  of  it- 
self, and  could  not  be  reinforced  in  time  by  the  march 
of  troops  from  the  Hudson.  The  army  in  Virginia, 
though  nearest  to  South  Carolina,  could  not  be  mov- 
ed without  giving  up  the  state.  This  simple  and  con- 
cise view  manifests  that  New  York  or  Virginia  only 
could  be  comprehended  in  the  concerted  plan;  and  it 
could  not  be  doubted,  from  our  insufficient  force,  that 
one  of  the  two,  and  not  both,  would  employ  our  entire 
strength. 

This  being  clearly  settled,  as  it  ought  to  have  been, 
in  the  mind  of  the  British  general,  what  ought  he  to 
have  suspected?  and  what  ought  he  to  have  done? 
Certainly  to  have  prepared  in  both  points  to  baffle 
the  attempt. 

Instead  of  being  over  anxious  for  his  own  security, 
he  ought  to  have  been  less  attentive  to  himself,  and 
more  regardful  of  Cornwallis.  The  post  of  New  York 
was  by  nature  strong,  and  had  been  annually  strength- 
ened, since  its  possession  for  six  years,  as  experience 
directed  or  leisure  permitted. 

Lord  Cornwallis  had  no  fortifications  but  those 
which  he  could  contrive  in  a  few  weeks  with  a  di- 
minished force;  obliged  at  the  same  time  to  attend  to 


324  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

an  enemy  near  to  him,  now  almost  equal  in  number, 
and  to  procure  food  and  forage.  He  ought,  therefore, 
to  have  commanded  the  primary  attention  of  Clinton, 
at  least  so  far  as  to  have  placed  him  as  safe  as  it  was 
practicable,  with  due  regard  to  those  operations  in- 
tended to  be  pursued  as  soon  as  the  limited  suspension 
should  cease. 

Instead  of  ordering  Cornwallis  to  take  post  at  Old 
Point  Comfort,  or  some  other  suitable  position  on 
the  bay  of  Chesapeak,  he  ought  to  have  directed  him 
to  have  selected  a  situation  on  one  of  its  rivers  conve- 
nient to  the  resumption  of  offensive  war  upon  the  de- 
parture of  the  French  fleet,  and  safe  as  to  himself  in 
case  the  naval  ascendency  of  his  enemy  upon  our  coast 
should  render  retreat  necessary.  If  necessary,  it  was 
only  practicable  by  returning  to  North  Carolina;  and, 
therefore,  the  southern  margin  of  James  instead  of  that 
of  York  river  was  the  ground  to  which  earl  Cornwallis 
ought  to  have  repaired,  and  very  probably  would  have 
selected  had  his  instructions  permitted  him  a  choice. 
City  Point  was  sufficiently  convenient  to  the  resump- 
tion of  offence,  and  was  convenient  to  North  Carolina 
whenever  retreat  became  unavoidable.  The  force  to 
be  dreaded  was  that  under  Washington;  and  as  soon 
as   Cornwallis  learnt  that  the   combined   army  was 
passing  the  Delaware,  he  had  only  to  fall  back  upon 
the  Roanoke,  and  the  mighty  effort  would  have  been 
baffled.    La  Fayette  and  the  marquis  St.  Simon  never 
could  have  effected  a  junction — (Cornwallis  at  City 
Point) — but  on  the  north  side  of  James  river;  and 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    325 

that  junction  was  not  very  readily  to  be  accomplished 
in  the  peninsula  made  by  James  and  York  rivers,  his 
lordship  having,  as  he  would  have,  an  easy  and  adequate 
boat  conveyance  across  the  James  river. 

The  safe  route  of  junction  was  circuitous.  St.  Simon 
landing  at  West  Point  on  York  river,  from  thence 
might,  without  chance  of  being  struck,  have  united  with 
La  Fayette  in  the  vicinity  of  Richmond;  or  passing  the 
river  there,  proceeded  to  Petersburg,  had  the-  American 
general  taken  that  position  for  the  purpose  1  u  resting 
Con  wallis's  retreat.  The  progress  of  St.  Simon  couid 
not  have  been  concealed  from  the  British  general,  nor 
could  that  of  the  commander  in  chief,  as  well  as  the 
disposition  made  by  La  Fayette.  In  his  camp  at  City 
Point  he  would  with  ease  have  outstripped  the  two 
first,  and,  forcing  La  Fayette  from  his  front,  made 
good  his  passage  of  the  Roanoke,  before,  strengthened 
by  St.  Simon,  he  could  have  approached  him.  Even 
had  they  closed  upon  him,  he  was  nearly  equal  to 
them  both,  and  at  the  head  of  troops  veterans  in  war, 
inured  to  hard  service,  and  familiar  with  battle. 

Washington,  finding  the  enemy  outof  reach,*  would 
have  necessarily  retraced  his  steps;  and  the  French  ad- 
miral, foiled  in  his  expectations,  would  have  returned 
as  soon  as  St.  Simon  could  have  reached  the  fleet. 

Had  a  Turrenne  or  a  Marlborough,  a  Conde  or 

*  Washington's  solicitude  to  take  care  of  West  Point  was 
unceasing,  and  would  have  infallibly  recalled  him  to  its  vicinity, 
as  soon  as  he  despaired  of  overtaking  Cornwallis. 


326  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

a  Wolfe*  commanded  at  New  York,  City  Point  or 
Flowery  Hundred,  and  not  Little  York,  would  have 
been  the  position  of  the  hostile  army  in  Virginia. 

September.  The  allied  army  pressed  its  march  with  all 
possible  despatch;  and  the  van  division  reaching  Elk- 
ton,  embarked  in  transports  collected  for  its  convey- 
ance. The  centre  division  continued  its  march  to 
Baltimore,  where  it  also  embarked;  and  the  remainder 
of  the  troops  and  some  of  the  baggage  proceeded  by 
land  through  Alexandria  and  Fredericksburg. 

Washington,  having  finished  his  arrangements  for 
the  movement  to  Virginia,  hastened  to  the  theatre  of 
action,  accompanied  by  the  count  Rochambeau. 

He  arrived  at  Williamsburg,  now  the  headquarters 
of  La  Fayette,  on  the  14th;  and  proceeding  to  Hamp- 
ton, attended  by  the  generals  Rochambeau,  Knox, 
Chatelleaux,  and  Du  Portail,  went  on  board  the  Ville 
de  Paris,  when  the  plan  of  siege  was  concerted  with 
the  count  de  Grasse.  Some  difficulty  occurred  in 
preventing  the  count  from  quitting  the  Chesapeak 
to  block  up  the  enemy's  fleet  in  the  harbor  of  New 
York,  a  measure  which  seems  to  have  fastened  itself 
upon  the  admiral's  mind. 

*  This  superior  soldier  fell  in  the  important  victory  which  he 
gained  on  the  Heights  of  Abraham,  in  the  year  1759,  when  he 
was  thirty-six  years  of  age.  Had  he  lived  he  would  have  been 
fifty-two  in  the  beginning  of  our  war,  and  very  probably  would 
have  been  placed  at  the  head  of  the  forces  sent  to  America.  His 
letter,  written  a  few  days  before  his  death,  portrays  his  vast  ge- 
nius, and  it  is  inserted  in  the  appendix  for  the  edification  of  my 
military  readers.   See  Appendix  R. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    327 

This  decision  was  founded  upon  information  he 
had  just  received  of  the  arrival  of  admiral  Digby  with 
six  ships  of  the  line,  which  induced  him  to  conclude 
that  he  should  be  soon  visited  a  second  time  by  his 
enemy;  and,  therefore,  he  determined  to  quit  the 
Chesapeak,  preferring  to  hold  the  hostile  fleet  in  its 
own  port  rather  than  to  be  shut  up  himself. 

There  seems  to  be  a  palpable  contradiction  in  the 
conduct  of  the  admiral  when  late  close  to  his  enemy 
off  the  capes  of  Virginia  and  his  present  decision.  He 
held  the  wind,  as  has  been  mentioned,  for  four  days 
after  the  action;  which,  though  not  a  decisive  circum- 
stance, was  certainly  favorable  to  him,  and  yet  he 
would  not  renew  the  battle;  but  wisely  determining 
to  avoid  hazarding  the  great  object  in  view,  drew  off 
from  his  crippled  adversary  and  regained  the  Chesa- 
peak. Now  when  the  preparations  for  the  execution 
of  the  concerted  enterprise  were  concluding,  and  the 
commander  in  chief  had  reached  the  ground  ready  to 
begin  his  work,  the  count  adopts  the  very  measure 
he  had  before  renounced,  and  goes  in  quest  of  his 
reinforced  enemy — vainly  presuming  that  he  would 
shut  him  up  in  port,  putting  to  hazard  the  sure  and 
splendid  prospect  before  him,  and  converting  eventu- 
ally certain  triumph  into  disgrace  if  the  British  admi- 
ral, by  his  superior  seamanship,  by  the  shift  of  wind 
or  any  other  of  the  incidents  common  to  war,  should 
cut  him  off  from  the  Chesapeak;  an  event  much  to  be 
apprehended  had  the  contemplated  movement  been 
attempted. 


328  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Washington  received  with  surprise  and  regret  the 
annunciation  of  the  count's  intention;  and,  discerning 
in  it  every  possible  ill,  with  no  probable  good,  resist- 
ed the  project  with  his  whole  weight.  He  prevailed: 
and  the  count,  relinquishing  imaginary  naval  triumph 
off  Sandy-Hook,  took  a  permanent  station  with  his 
fleet  in  the  bay;  resolved  not  to  hazard  with  the  hope 
of  success  off  New  York  a  victory  within  his  grasp,  as 
splendid  and  as  powerful  in  its  effects.  To  strengthen 
his  station  the  admiral,  having  disembarked  a  body 
of  marines,  commenced  the  erection  of  a  battery  for 
heavy  ordnance  on  Old  Point  Comfort,  which  is  the 
northern  promontory  of  James  river. 

The  weight  of  Washington's  character,  as  well 
as  the  soundness  of  his  judgment,  are  both  illus- 
trated by  this  circumstance.  The  count,  from  what 
followed,  seems  to  have  been  peculiarly  attached  to 
the  line  of  conduct  then  contemplated,  and  which 
he  renounced  in  obedience  to  the  judgment  of  Wash- 
ington. Soon  after  his  return  to  the  West  Indies,  he 
invested  (in  conjunction  with  the  marquis  de  Bouille, 
commanding  the  army  of  France)  the  island  of  St. 
Christopher. 

Having  landed  the  marquis  and  his  army,  he  anchor- 
ed his  fleet,  consisting  of  thirty-two  ships  of  the  line, 
in  Basseterre  road.  Admiral  Hood,  who  had  fought 
him  under  Graves,  hearing  of  the  descent  upon  St. 
Christopher,  sailed  at  the  head  of  twenty-two  ships  of 
the  line  with  a  determination  to  relieve  the  island  if 
practicable.  As  soon  as  Hood  appeared  off  Basseterre 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    329 

road,  de  Grasse  left  his  anchorage  ground,  standing 
out  for  sea  to  avail  himself  of  his  superior  force.  Hood, 
delighted  with  the  movement  of  his  adversary,  con- 
tinued in  line  of  battle,  as  if  ready  to  engage;  drawing 
further  and  further  from  the  shore  until  he  had  de- 
coyed the  French  admiral  to  the  desired  distance, 
when  with  press  of  sail  he  passed  him  with  his  whole 
fleet  unhurt,  and  seized  the  anchorage  ground  which 
de  Grasse  had  left. 

Thus  actually  happened  what  Washington's  pene- 
trating mind  suggested  as  possible,  and  which  taking 
place  in  the  Chesapeak  would  have  given  safety  to 
the  falling  army. 

The  last  division  of-'the  allied  army  arrived  on  the 
25th,  four  weeks  from  the  day  our  rear  passed  the 
Hudson  river,  and  debarking  at  Burrell's  ferry  upon 
James  river  joined  in  the  neighborhood  of  Williams- 
burgh. 

Our  whole  force  being  now  collected,  the  allied 
army  moved  on  the  28th,  in  four  columns,  and  sat 
down  in  front  of  the  enemy,  two  miles  from  him;  the 
Americans  forming  its  right  and  the  French  its  left. 

Lord  Cornwallis,  adhering  to  his  instructions,  had 
directed  his  whole  attention  and  labor  to  the  comple- 
tion of  his  fortifications  in  his  position  at  York  and 
Gloucester.  These  were  by  no  means  perfected,  and 
consequently  still  engaged  his  unwearied  exertions. 

On  the  side  of  York,  which  is  a  small  town  on  the 
southern  banks  of  the  river  whose  name  it  bears,  more 
remarkable  for  its  spacious  and  convenient  harbor  than 

Vol.  H.  2T 


330  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

for  its  strength  of  ground  in  a  military  point  of  view, 
batteries  had  been  erected  to  co-operate  with  the  naval 
force  in  the  protection  of  the  harbor,  and  a  line  of 
circumvallation  had  been  cut  in  front  of  the  town,  be- 
ginning on  a  small  gut  which  falls  into  the  river  on  its 
upper  side,  and  terminating  in  a  deep  ravine  below 
the  town.  This  line  was  defended  by  redoubts  and 
batteries,  united  by  communications  and  strengthened 
by  fosses  and  abbatis;  and  the  heights  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  gut  or  creek  were  fortified,  commanding 
thoroughly  the  gorge  of  land  made  by  the  river  and 
the  creek. 

In  front  of  the  intrenchments  surrounding  the  town, 
the  last  resort  of  the  British  general,  was  another  line 
of  redoubts  and  field  works,  judiciously  arranged  to 
co-operate  with  the  army  in  battle,  should  the  allies 
determine  to  force  it  to  withdraw  from  the  field. 

Gloucester  Point,  opposite  to  York  Town,  was  also 
fortified;  not  only  as  a  necessary  appendage  to  York, 
and  contributing  to  the  protection  of  the  harbor,  but 
as  it  was  convenient  to  a  fertile  country  where  forage 
for  the  cavalry  might  be  abundantly  procured,  and 
afforded  the  most  likely  point  of  junction  for  the  pro- 
mised relief.  Here  the  works  were  finished,  and  the 
post  was  committed  to  lieutenant  colonel  Dundas 
with  a  few  infantry  and  all  the  cavalry. 

Under  cover  of  the  outer  range  of  protection  Corn- 
wallis  was  encamped,  flattering  himself  in  the  pre- 
sumption that  his  enemy,  trusting  to  his  superior 
numbers   and   solicitous  to  hasten   his  submission, 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    331 

would  attempt  by  storm  to  dislodge  him.  He  enter- 
tained the  hope  that,  supported  as  he  was  by  his 
redoubts  and  fleches,  he  should  be  able  to  withstand 
the  assault;  and  might,  by  the  intervention  of  some  of 
those  lucky  incidents  which  often  happen  in  battle, 
strike  his  enemy  so  seriously  as  to  retard  considerably 
if  not  defer  for  ever  his  approaches.  No  opportunity 
was  allowed  for  the  indulgence  of  this  expectation; 
and  the  character  of  Washington  forbad  much  re- 
liance in  such  hope,  as  he  was  never  known  to  com- 
mit to  the  caprice  of  fortune  what  was  attainable  by 
obedience  to  the  mandate  of  reason. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening  a  messenger  arrived 
from  sir  Henry  Clinton  with  despatches  to  his  lord- 
ship, dated  the  twenty- fourth,  communicating  the 
result  of  a  council  of  war,  held  on  that  day,  consisting 
of  the  general  and  flag  officers,  wherein  "  it  was  agreed 
that  upwards  of  five  thousand  troops  should  be  em- 
barked on  board  the  king's  ships;  that  every  exertion 
should  be  made  both  by  the  army  and  navy  to  relieve 
him;  and  that  the  fleet,  consisting  of  twenty- three  sail 
of  the  line,  might  be  expected  to  start  on  the  5th  of 
October."  Strong  as  was  this  assurance,  it  derived 
additional  strength  from  the  postscript,  announcing 
the  arrival  of  admiral  Digby;  inasmuch  as  having  de- 
termined to  hazard  the  fleet  and  army,  such  determi- 
nation became  fortified  by  the  accession  of  strength 
where  it  was  most  wanted. 

Cornwallis  yielding  to  assurances  too  solemn  to  be 
slighted,  as  well  as  conforming  to  the  spirit  of  his  or- 


332  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

ders,  renounced  his  intention  of  disputing  the  advance 
of  his  adversary;  and,  giving  up  his  fortified  camp,  re- 
tired in  the  night  to  his  town  position, — never  doubt- 
ing that  the  promised  relief  would  "  start"*  on  the 
appointed  day,  and  well  assured  that  if  it  did,  he 
should  be  able  to  sustain  himself  until  it  appeared; 
when  presuming  that  a  general  battle  would  ensue,  he 
considered  it  to  be  his  duty  in  the  mean  time  to  pre- 
serve rather  than  cripple  his  force. 

*  Copy  of  a  letter  from  sir  Henry  Clinton  to  earl  Cornwallis, 

dated 

New  York,  September  24,  1781. 
My  Lord, 

I  was  honored  yesterday  with  your  lordship's  letter  of  the  16th 
and  17th  instant;  and,  at  a  meeting  of  the  general  and  flag  officers 
held  this  day,  it  is  determined  that  above  five  thousand  men,  rank 
and  file,  shall  be  embarked  on  board  the  king's  ships,  and  the 
joint  exertions  of  the  navy  and  army  made  in  a  few  days  to  re- 
lieve you,  and  afterwards  co-operate  with  you. 

The  fleet  consists  of  twenty-three  sail  of  the  line,  three  of 
which  are  three  deckers.  There  is  every  reason  to  hope  we  start 
from  hence  the  5th  of  October.  I  have  received  your  lordship's 
letter  of  the  8th  instant. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  &c. 

H.  Clinton. 

P.  S.  Admiral  Digby  is  this  moment  arrived  at  the  Hook,  with 
three  sail  of  the  line. 

At  a  venture,  without  knowing  whether  they  can  be  seen  by 
i}s,  1  request,  that,  if  all  is  well,  upon  hearing  a  considerable  firing 
towards  the  entrance  of  the  Chesapeak,  three  large  separate 
smokes  may  be  made  parallel  to  it;  and  if  you  possess  the  post 
of  Gloucester,  four. 

I  shall  send  another  runner  soon. 

H.  Clinton. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   333 

His  lordship's  conclusion  was  certainly  correct, 
disastrous  as  was  the  consequence  of  his  mistaken 
confidence. 

This  nocturnal  movement  did  not  pass  unperceived 
by  our  guards;  and  lieutenant  colonel  Scammel,  officer 
of  the  day,  put  himself  at  the  head  of  a  reconnoitring 
party  with  the  dawn  of  light,  to  ascertain  its  character 
and  extent.  Advancing  close  to  the  enemy's  position, 
he  fell  in  with  a  detachment  of  the  legion  dragoons, 
who  .instantly  charged  our  party. 

In  the  rencontre  Scammel  was  mortally  wounded 
and  taken.  He  soon  expired.  This  was  the  severest 
blow  experienced  by  the  allied  army  throughout  the 
siege:  not  an  officer  in  our  army  surpassed  in  personal 
worth  and  professional  ability  this  experienced  soldier. 

He  had  served  from  the  commencement  of  the  war 
in  the  line  of  his  native  state  (Massachusetts);  and 
when  colonel  Pickering,  adjutant  general  of  the  army, 
succeeded  general  Greene  as  quartermaster  general, 
lieurenant  colonel  Scammel  was  selected  by  the  com- 
mander in  chief  to  till  that  important  and  confidential 
station, — from  which  post  he  had  lately  retired,  for 
the  purpose  of  taking  an  active  part,  at  the  head  of  a 
battalion  of  light  troops,  in  the  meditated  operation. 

When  the  allies  moved  from  Williamsburgh,  gene- 
ral  Choise  (of  the  army  of  count  Rochambeau)  attend- 
ed by  the  infantry  of  the  duke  de  Lauzun's  legion, 
which  had  disembarked  on  the  23d,  was  detached 
across  York  river  to  take  command  of  the  corps  of 
investiture  in  front  of  Gloucester  Point,  with  orders 


334  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

to  stop  effectually  the  supplies  still  partially  collected 
from  the  country  by  the  enemy. 

General  Choise  reached  on  the  next  day  the  camp 
of  Weedon,  and  took  the  command  of  the  combined 
troops. 

The  duke  de  Lauzun,  with  his  cavalry,  had  rein- 
forced general  Weedon  some  days  before.  Joined  now 
by  his  infantry,  and  strengthened  by  a  select  battalion 
under  lieutenant  colonel  Mercer,  this  corps  composed 
(under  the  orders  of  the  duke)  the  van  of  Choise, 
who  prepared  forthwith  to  establish  himself  close  to 
Gloucester.  He  was  again  reinforced  by  one  thousand  of 
the  French  marines;  which,  added  to  the  legion  of  Lau- 
zun (about  seven  hundred,  horse  and  foot,)  and  to  the 
militia  of  Weedon,  gave  a  total  of  three  thousand  five 
hundred  effectives.  On  the  evening  of  the  2d  of  Oc- 
tober, the  post  of  Gloucester  was  strengthened  by 
lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton,  with  his  legion  and  mount- 
ed infantry.  Lieutenant  colonel  Dundas  moved  with 
the  dawn  on  the  morning  of  the  3d,  at  the  head  of  a 
great  portion  of  his  garrison,  to  make  a  grand  forage. 
The  wagons  and  bat  horses  were  loaded  three  miles 
from  Gloucester  before  ten  o'clock,  when  the  infantry 
covering  them  commenced  their  return.  On  the  same 
morning,  and  at  an  early  hour,  the  corps  of  Choise 
was  put  in  motion,  for  the  execution  of  his  plan  of 
close  investiture.  Count  Dillon,  with  a  squadron  of 
Lauzun's  dragoons  and  Mercer's  infantry,  took  the 
York  river  road;  while  general  Choise,  with  the  main 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   335 

body  of  his  infantry,  seconded  by  brigadier  Weedon, 
and  preceded  by  the  duke  de  Lauzun  with  the  re- 
mainder of  his  cavalry,  moved  on  the  Severn  road. 
These  two  roads  unite  in  a  long  lane,  nearly  four  miles 
from  Gloucester,  with  inclosed  fields  on  each  side. 
Passing  through  the  lane,  you  arrive  at  an  open  field 
on  your  right  and  a  copse  of  wood  on  your  left,  lining 
the  road  for  half  a  mile,  where  it  terminated  at  a  small 
redoubt  facing  the  road. 

Choise,  in  his  advance,  was  informed  that  the  ene- 
my's cavalry  were  in  front;  and  being  desirous  of 
striking  them,  he  pressed  forward  with  his  horse,  or- 
dering Dillon  and  lieutenant  colonel  Mercer  to  hasten 
their  junction  with  him.  The  rapid  push  of  the  cavalry 
left  the  main  body  of  our  infantry  far  in  the  rear;  Mer- 
cer's corps  only  was  in  supporting  distance. 

Dillon,  with  his  cavalry,  met  the  general,  with  the 
duke  de  Lauzun,  at  the  mouth  of  the  lane.  The  united 
body  of  dragoons  advanced  down  the  lane,  through 
which  the  British  cavalry  had  just  passed,  proceeding 
leisurely  towards  camp,  to  give  convenient  time  for 
the  foraging  party's  return  to  Gloucester,  when  lieu- 
tenant Cameron,  commanding  the  rear  guard,  commu- 
nicated the  appearance  of  the  French  dragoons.  This 
was  soon  confirmed  by  the  approach  of  our  van;  upon 
which  the  main  body  of  the  enemy's  horse  halted  and 
formed  in  the  wood.  Lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton  ad- 
vanced with  a  part  of  his  horse  upon  us,  and  was  in- 
stantly charged  by  the  French  cavalry,  when  one  of 


336  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

the  enemy's  horses  was  wounded  by  a  spear,*  and 
plunging  overthrew  Tarleton's  horse. 

The  main  body  of  the  British  horse  pressed  forward 
to  support  their  commandant,  but  could  not  force  the 
French  dragoons.  Falling  back  they  were  pursued  by 
our  cavalry,  and  took  shelter  under  cover  of  their  in- 
fantry, arrayed  in  the  wood  on  one  side,  and  along  a 
post  and  rail  fence  on  the  other  side  of  the  road. 

This  line  of  infantry  opened  their  fire,  and  Choise 
in  his  turn  receded,  but  slowly,  and  in  good  order. 
The  infantry  pressing  forward  under  cover  of  the 
wood,  and  incessantly  delivering  their  fire,  galled  us 
considerable;  when  the  French  general  discovering  the 
corps  of  Mercer  just  emerging  out  of  the  lane,  threw 
himself  by  a  rapid  move  into  its  rear,  and  faced  about 
to  renew  the  conflict. 

Tarleton  having  rallied  his  cavalry,  hastened  up  to 
the  infantry,  still  advancing  in  the  woods,  and  resting 
his  right  flank  upon  its  left,  came  forward  in  point  of 
time  just  as  Mercer  entered  through  the  lane  into  the 
field.  Mercer  instantly  deployed,  stretching  his  left 
into  the  woods,  and  opened  his  fire  upon  the  horse 
opposite  to  his  right,  and  upon  the  infantry  in  front  of 
his  left. 

No  regular  corps  could  have  maintained  its  ground 
more  firmly  than  did  this  battalion  of  our  infantry.  It 
brought  the  enemy  to  pause,  which  was  soon  followed 

*  A  part  of  the  duke  de  Lauzun's  regiment  (called  hulans) 
were  armed  with  spears. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    337 

by  his  retreat.  When  Tarleton  drew  off,  the  corps  of 
Mercer  had  expended  nearly  all  its  cartridges.  Choise 
established  himself  on  the  contested  ground,  and  com- 
menced a  rigid  blockade  of  the  post  of  Gloucester, 
which  continued  to  the  end  of  the  siege. 

Lieutenant  Moir,  of  the  infantry,  was  killed  within 
a  few  paces  of  our  line;  besides  whom  the  enemy  lost 
eleven  rank  and  file,  as  stated  by  lieutenant  colonel 
Tarleton,  who  puts  down  our  loss  at  two  officers  and 
fourteen  privates. 

Choise 's  infantry  not  having  yet  got  up,  he  did  not 
think  proper  to  renew  the  attack  without  them,  inas- 
much as  the  enemy's  whole  force  might  be  readily 
brought  to  sustain  the  retreating  corps. 

General  Washington,  in  his  orders  of  the  4th,  speaks 
in  handsome  terms  of  the  behaviour  of  this  portion  of 
the  allied  troops,  and  returns  his  thanks  to  the  cavalry 
of  the  duke  de  Lauzun,  and  to  the  grenadiers  of  Mer- 
cer, which  constituted  the  whole  of  our  force  engaged. 
Lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton  is  extremely  mistaken 
when  he  supposed  that  the  main  body  of  the  investing 
corps  was  up.  The  infantry  of  Lauzun  were  the  first 
which  approached;  they  joined  in  thirty  or  forty  mi- 
nutes  after  the  enemy  retreated,  followed  by  the  ma- 
rines and  the  militia  under  Weedon. 

As  soon  as  the  retirement  of  Cornwallis  from  his 
outer  position  was  discovered  on  the  subsequent 
morning,  Washington  occupied  by  a  forward  move- 
ment the  abandoned  ground,  ready  to  open  trenches 
whenever  the  ordnance  and  other  requisite  implements 
Vol.  II.  2  U 


338  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

arrived  at  camp.  Indefatigable  as  were  his  exertions 
to  hasten  their  conveyance  from  the  transports  lying 
in  James  river,  only  six  miles  from  him,  it  never  was 
accomplished  until  the  6th  of  October,  the  day  after 
that  assigned  by  sir  Henry  Clinton  for  the  departure 
of  the  armament  from  Sandy  Hook  destined  to  relieve 
the  besieged  army. 

The  course  of  our  first  parallel  being  ascertained, 
the  working  detachment  took  its  post  with  the  fall  of 
night,  covered  by  the  requisite  guards.  Commanded 
to  preserve  profound  silence,  (which  order,  applying 
so  forcibly  to  every  man's  safety,  was  implicitly  obey- 
ed,) no  discovery  of  our  beginning  labors  took  place 
until  the  light  of  day  showed  them,  when  by  the  zeal 
of  the  troops  they  had  nearly  covered  themselves. 
Cornwallis  now  opened  his  batteries,  but  so  well  im- 
proved had  been  the  night  as  to  render  his  fire  una- 
vailing. Our  soldiers  sinking  themselves  lower  and 
lower,  we  completed  our  first  parallel  with  a  loss  short 
of  thirty  killed  and  wounded,  which  fell  chiefly  upon 
our  left.  Before  the  10th  our  batteries  and  redoubts 
appeared  along  the  fosse,  many  of  them  mounted, 
which  opening  in  succession,  soon  began  to  manifest 
the  superiority  sure  to  accrue  to  the  besieger  possess- 
ing adequate  means,  and  conducting  those  means  with 
sagacity  and  diligence.  The  slender  defences  opposed 
to  us  began  to  tumble  under  the  demolishing  fire. 
The  loss  of  time  sustained  in  bringing  our  cannon  six 
miles,  was  amply  compensated  by  the  effects  of  the 
wise  determination  to  put  <the  issue  of  the  siege  on 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    3Sy 

heavy  metal.  Cornwallis  still  looked  with  undiminished 
confidence  for  the  promised  relief,  and  wisely  adhered 
to  his  plan,  saving  his  troops  for  the  battle  to  be  fought 
as  soon  as  sir  Henry  Clinton  should  reach  him.  Yet 
he  exerted  himself  to  counteract  our  approach,  by  re- 
pairing in  the  night  the  dilapidations  of  the  day,  and 
by  opening  new  embrasures  throughout  his  line  in 
support  of  his  defences.  All  our  batteries  on  the  first 
parallel  being  completed,  and  mounted  in  the  true 
style,  (weight  and  not  number  the  standard,)  the  fire 
on  the  11th  and  12th  tore  to  pieces  most  of  the  ene- 
my's batteries,  dismounting  their  ordnance  in  every 
direction. 

So  powerful  was  the  effect  of  our  first  parallel,  that 
our  shells  and  red  hot  balls  in  this  range  of  destruction 
reached  even  the  small  navy  in  the  harbor,  setting  fire 
to  and  destroying  the  Charon,  the  largest  ship,  (a  forty- 
four  gun  frigate,)  with  three  transports. 

Cornwallis  saw  his  fate  from  this  first  display  of  our 
skill  and  strength,  and  if  left  to  his  own  means,  would 
have  resorted  to  his  own  mind  for  safety;  but  not 
doubting  that  the  promised  relief  must  soon  arrive,  he 
determined,  as  was  his  duty,  to  await  the  timely  inter- 
position of  his  commander. 

Washington  discovering  the  effect  of  his  first  paral- 
lel, could  he  have  depended  on  the  French  superiority 
at  sea,  would  probably  have  spared  the  labor  which 
afterwards  ensued:  for  Cornwallis  was  now  destroyed, 
unless  relieved,  or  unless  his  own  genius  could  effect 
his  deliverance.  The  American  general  therefore  con- 


340  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

tinued  to  urge  his  operations,  and  in  the  night  of  the 
lith  opened  his  second  parallel.  The  same  order  was 
given,  commanding  silence;  and  its  observance  being 
more  cogent  from  the  increased  proximity  to  the  ene- 
my, (now  within  three  hundred  instead  of  six  hundred 
yards,)  our  trench  was  nearly  completed  before  the 
dawn  of  day;  manifesting  to  the  British  general  how 
far  we  surpassed,  in  this  second  effort,  that  zeal  dis- 
played in  our  first  attempt,  great  as  it  was.  Surprised 
at  the  unexpected  condition  in  which  he  found  him- 
self, he  urged  with  redoubled  vigor  the  repairs  where- 
ever  requisite,  and  strengthened  his  advanced  works. 
This  was  the  morning  of  the  seventh  day  since  sir 
Henry  Clinton  was  to  "  start"  with  his  relief  "  navy 
and  army."  Cornwallis  continued  to  believe  in  the 
assurance,  and  with  unappalled  courage  determined  to 
maintain  his  lines.  His  battery  and  his  two  front  re- 
doubts opened,  and  during  this  day  his  fire  most 
injured  us.  Many  of  our  soldiers  were  killed  and 
wounded.  Nevertheless  our  parallel  advanced,  and  our 
batteries  began  to  show  themselves,  yet  his  two  re- 
doubts continued  their  fire  with  severe  effect. 

Washington  determined  to  silence  them  with  the 
bayonet,  and  accordingly  on  the  14th  directed  two  de- 
tachments to  be  held  ready;  the  right  from  the  corps 
of  La  Fayette,  and  the  left  as  the  count  de  Rocham- 
beau  should  designate.  La  Fayette  conducted  in  per- 
son the  assault  on  our  right,  and  the  baron  de  Viomenil 
that  of  our  left.  Major  Campbell,  with  sixty  men,  (as 
was  afterwards  ascertained,)  defended  the  first,  and 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    341 

lieutenant  colonel  Johnson,  with  one  hundred  and 
twenty  men,  defended  the  second  redoubt.  Lieutenant 
colonel  Hamilton,  (who  had  been  aid-de-camp  to  the 
commander  in  chief  from  1776  until  lately,*)  con- 

*  An  unhappy  difference  had  occurred  in  the  transaction  of 
business  between  the  general  and  his  much  respected  aid,  which 
produced  the  latter's  withdraw  from  his  family.  A  few  days  pre- 
ceding this  period,  Hamilton  had  been  engaged  all  the  morning 
in  copying  some  despatches,  which  the  general,  when  about  to 
take  his  usual  rounds,  directed  him  to  forward  as  soon  as  finished. 

Washington  finding  on  his  return  the  despatches  on  the  table, 
renewed  his  directions  in  expressions  indicating  his  surprise  at 
the  delay;  and  again  leaving  his  apartment,  found,  when  he  re- 
turned, the  despatches  where  he  had  left  them.  At  this  time  Ha- 
milton had  gone  out  in  search  of  the  courier,  who  had  been  long 
waiting,  when  accidentally  he  met  the  maquis  La  Fayette,  who 
seizing  him  by  the  button  (as  was  the  habit  of  this  zealous  noble- 
man) engaged  him  in  conversation;  which  being  continued  with 
the  marquis's  usual  earnestness,  dismissed  from  Hamilton's  mind 
for  some  minutes  the  object  in  view.  At  length  breaking  off  from 
the  marquis  he  reached  the  courier,  and  directed  him  to  come 
forward  to  receive  his  charge  and  orders.  Returning  he  found  the 
general  seated  by  the  table,  on  which  lay  the  despatches.  The 
moment  he  appeared,  Washington,  with  warmth  and  sternness, 
chided  him  for  the  delay;  to  which  Hamilton  mildly  replied,  stat- 
ing the  cause;  when  the  general,  rather  irritated  than  mollified, 
sternly  rebuked  him.  To  this  Hamilton  answered,  "  If  your  ex- 
cellency thinks  proper  thus  to  address  me,  it  is  time  for  me  to 
leave  you."  He  proceeded  to  the  table,  took  up  the  despatch,  sent 
off  the  express,  packed  up  his  baggage,  and  quitted  headquarters. 

Although  Washington  took  no  measures  to  restore  him  to  his 
family,  yet  he  treated  him  with  the  highest  respect;  giving  to 
him  the  command  of  a  regiment  of  light  infantry,  which  now 
formepa  part  of  La  Fayette's  corps.  In 


342  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

ducted  the  van  of  La  Fayette,  as  did that 

of  Viomenil.  Having  removed  to  their  respective  posts 
as  soon  as  it  was  dark,  they  advanced  to  the  attack  by 
signal  at  an  early  hour  in  the  night. 

Hamilton,  with  his  own  and  Gimat's  corps  of  light 
infantry,  rushed  forward  with  impetuosity.  Pulling  up 
the  abbatis  and  knocking  down  the  palisades  ,he  forced 
his  way  into  the  redoubt;  having  detached  lieutenant 
colonel  Laurens,  (aid-de-camp  to  the  commander  in 
chief,)  with  two  companies  of  light  infantry,  to  gain 
the  rear,  and  enter  in  that  quarter.  The  resistance  of 
the  enemy  was  instantly  overpowered:  the  major,  with 
every  man  of  his  guard,  except  six  or  seven,  were 

In  the  arrangements  for  the  assault  of  the  redoubt,  La  Fayette 
had  given  his  van  to  his  own  aid-de-camp,  lieutenant  colonel  Gi- 
mat;  but  it  being  Hamilton's  tour  of  duty,  he  remonstrated  to  the 
marquis  upon  the  injustice  of  such  preference.  La  Fayette  ex- 
cused himself  by  saying,  that  the  arrangements  made  had  been 
sanctioned  by  the  commander  in  chief,  and  could  not  be  changed 
by  him.  This  no  doubt  was  true;  but  Washington  did  not  know 
that  any  officer  had  been  called  to  command  out  of  tour. 

Hamilton,  always  true  to  the  feelings  of  honor  and  indepen- 
dence, repelled  this  answer,  and  left  the  marquis,  announcing  his 
determination  to  appeal  to  headquarters.  This  he  accordingly  did 
do,  in  a  spirited  and  manly  letter.  Washington,  incapable  of  in- 
justice, sent  for  the  marquis,  and  inquiring  into  the  fact,  found 
that  the  tour  of  duty  belonging  to  Hamilton  had  been  given  to 
Gimat.  He  instantly  directed  the  marquis  to  reinstate  Hamilton, 
who  consequently  was  put  at  the  head  of  the  van,  which  he  con- 
ducted so  advantageously  to  the  service  and  so  honorably  to 
himself. 

This  anecdote  was  communicated  to  the  writer  by  lieutenant 
colonel  Hamilton,  during  the  siege  of  York  Town. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    343 

killed  or  taken,  and  experienced  that  marked  huma- 
nity from  the  conqueror  so  uniformly  displayed  by  the 
Americans  in  victory.  This  too  when  the  horrid  and 
barbarous  outrage  committed  at  fort  Griswold  in  Con- 
necticut, (in  the  late  operations  of  sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton in  that  state,)  was  fresh  in  our  memory.  Only 
eight  of  the  enemy  were  killed,  while  our  own  loss 
was  nine  killed  and  thirty -two  wounded:  among  the 
latter  was  captain  Stephen  Olney,  of  the  Rhode  Island 
regiment,  whose  zeal  and  intrepidity  upon  this,  as  upon 
every  other  occasion,  had  placed  him  high  in  the  esteem 
of  the  general  and  army.  La  Fayette  instantly  despatch- 
ed major  Barbour,  one  of  his  aids,  to  the  baron  de 
Viomenil,  communicating  his  success.  The  baron, 
ready  for  the  assault,  was  waiting  to  give  time  to  the 
ax  and  fascine  men  to  cut  down  the  palisades  and  fill 
up  the  fosse;  when,  astonished  at  the  intelligence  re- 
ceived, he  announced  it  in  a  loud  voice  to  his  troops, 
ordering  them  to  advance.  This  was  done  with  the  ar- 
dor of  Frenchmen;  and  although  here  the  resistance 
was  much  more  formidable, — the  enemy  being  double 
in  number,  and  apprized  of  our  approach, — still  the 
intrepidity  of  the  assailants  was  irresistible.  The  com- 
mandant escaped,  leaving  half  his  force  (about  sixty) 
in  our  possession;  of  these  eighteen  were  killed.  Our 
loss  was  severe,  being  one  hundred  killed  and  wound- 
ed. Thus  did  Viomenil  honor  the  bill  drawn  upon  him 
by  La  Fayette.* 

*  Louis  XV,  after  gaining  the  battle  of  Fontenoy,  despatch- 
ed M.  de  la  Tour  with  the  intelligence  to  his  ally  the  great 


344  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Washington  was  highly  gratified  with  the  splendid 
termination  of  this  double  assault,  and  was  very  libe- 
ral in  his  compliments  to  the  troops  engaged;  nor  did 
he  omit  to  avail  himself  of  the  opportunity  which  it 
presented  of  cherishing  that  spirit  of  concord,  good 
will  and  mutual  confidence  between  the  allied  troops, 
so  essential  to  the  common  cause.  He  thus  concludes 
his  order  of  thanks:  "  The  general  reflects  with  the 
highest  degree  of  pleasure  on  the  confidence  which 
the  troops  of  the  two  nations  must  hereafter  have  in 
each  other.  Assured  of  mutual  support,  he  is  convin- 
ced there  is  no  danger  which  they  will  not  cheerfully 
encounter, — no  difficulty  which  they  will  not  bravely 
overcome." 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  vigor  with  which  our 
operations  were  pushed,  so  completely  had  Washing- 
ton infused  into  the  mass  of  the  troops  his  own  solici- 
tude to  bring  the  siege  to  a  conclusion.  Before  day- 
light the  two  redoubts  were  included  in  our  second 
parallel,  which  was  now  in  great  forwardness. 

Cornwallis  saw  with  amazement  the  fruit  of  our 
night's  labor,  and  was  sensible  of  his  condition.  Ten 
days  had  elapsed  since  the  promised  armament  was  to 

Frederick.  La  Tour  reached  the  king  of  Prussia  passing  at  the 
head  of  his  army  the  defiles  of  the  mountains  in  Upper  Silesia, 
near  the  village  of  Friedburgh;  where  in  a  few  hours  he  attacked 
the  Austrian  army,  and  gained  a  signal  victory,  which  he  an- 
nounced to  the  king  of  France  by  M.  de  la  Tour  in  the  following 
words:  "  The  bill  of  exchange  which  you  drew  on  me  at  Fonte- 
noy,  I  have  paid  at  Friedburgh."  Voltaire. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    345 

have  sailed,  and  as  yet  it  had  not  appeared  off  the 
Capes,  nor  had  his  lordship  been  informed  of  the 
cause  of  the  unexpected  and  torturing  delay.  Per- 
suaded that  his  relief  could  not  be  remote,  he  deter- 
mined for  once  to  depart  from  the  cautious  system 
enjoined  by  his  expectation  of  succor,  and  to  resort  to 
his  habit  of  bold  enterprise;  hoping  that  by  retarding 
our  advance  he  should  still  give  time  for  the  arrival  of 
succor.  On  the  15th  of  October  he  ordered  lieutenant 
colonel  Abercrombie  to  hold  himself  in  readiness  with 
a  detachment  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  men  from  the 
guards  and  light  infantry,  for  the  purpose  of  possess- 
ing himself  of  two  of  our  redoubts  nearly  finished. 

At  four  in  the  succeeding  morning  Abercrombie 
advanced  upon  our  lines,  detaching  lieutenant  colonel 
Lake  with  the  guards  against  one,  and  major  Arm- 
strong with  the  light  infantry  against  the  other  redoubt. 
The  British  rushed  upon  us  with  determined  cou- 
rage, and  both  officers  completely  succeeded;  driving 
out  the  French,  who  occupied  the  redoubts,  with  the 
loss  of  one  hundred  men  killed  and  wounded. 

This  success  was  of  short  duration;  for  the  support 
moving  up  from  the  trenches  soon  gained  the  lost 
ground,  the  enemy  relinquishing  the  redoubts  and 
hastening  to  his  lines.  We  found  our  cannon  spiked, 
but  being  done  in  much  hurry  the  spikes  were  readily 
drawn,  and  before  the  evening  the  redoubts  were 
finished  and  opened  upon  the  enemy.  Deriving  no 
solid  good  from  this  his  only  sortie  for  the  purpose  of 
retarding  our  approach,  and  still  ignorant  cf  the  cause 

Vol.  II.  2X 


346  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

of  Clinton's  delay,  Cornwallis  was  brought  to  the  al- 
ternative of  surrendering  or  of  attempting  his  escape. 
Incapable  of  submitting,  so  long  as  such  an  event 
might  possibly  be  avoided,  he  prepared  with  profound 
secrecy  to  pass  his  army  in  the  night  to  Gloucester, 
garnishing  the  works  with  his  convalescents,  leaving 
behind  his  baggage  of  every  sort,  his  sick,  wounded, 
shipping  and  stores. 

To  lieutenant  colonel  Johnson,  the  officer  selected 
still  to  hold  York,  a  letter  was  delivered  addressed  to 
general  Washington,  commending  to  his  humanity  his 
abandoned  comrades. 

As  soon  as  he  passed  the  river,  the  British  general 
determined  to  envelope  Choise  with  his  whole  force, 
and  seizing  all  the  horses  in  his  enemy's  possession, 
to  mount  his  army  and  to  press  forward  by  forced 
marches,  preceded  by  his  numerous  cavalry,  the  corps 
of  Simcoe  and  the  legion  of  Tarleton,  about  four  hun- 
dred. Horses  were  to  be  taken  every  where  as  he 
passed,  until  his  whole  force  was  mounted.  He  in- 
tended to  keep  a  direct  course  to  the  upper  country, 
with  the  view  of  leaving  it  doubtful  whether  his  ulti- 
mate object  was  New  Jersey  or  North  Carolina;  hop- 
ing thus  to  distract  the  motions  of  his  adversary,  if 
not  to  draw  him  to  one  point  of  interception,  when 
he  might  take  his  decision  as  circumstances  should 
warrant. 

This  bold  conception  bespoke  the  hero,  and  was 
worthy  of  its  author.  Nor  can  it  justly  be  deemed  so 
desperate  as  was  generally  conceived.    Washington 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    347 

could  not  possibly  in  time  seize  the  northern  and 
southern  route;  and  without  availing  himself  of  horses, 
he  never  could  overtake  his  foe.  This  aid  could  not 
have  been  instantly  procured;  and  when  procured  must 
have  been  limited  to  a  portion  of  his  force.  It  is  pro- 
bable he  might,  with  all  the  horses  in  the  camp  and  in 
the  neighborhood,  have  mounted  four  thousand  men 
in  four  days;*  more  could  not  have  been  collected  in 
time.  He  could  readily,  by  the  aid  of  water  convey- 
ance at  his  command,  with  prosperous  gales,  have 
transported  his  major  force  to  the  head  of  the  Chesa- 
peak,  so  as  to  have  brought  it  in  contact  with  the  re- 
treating foe  on  the  confines  of  the  Delaware,  should 
Cornwallis  have  taken  the  northern  route;  but  he  must 
and  would  have  calculated  on  the  interposition  of  sir 
Henry  Clinton,  who  certainly  would  have  moved 
through  New  Jersey  to  Easton,  on  the  Delaware,  ready 
to  support  the  retreating  army. 

The  American  army  under  Heath  would  have  fol- 
lowed Clinton,  but  in  this  condition  of  things  our  pros- 
pect could  not  be  considered  cheering.  Clinton  and 
Cornwallis  marching  in  a  straight  line  to  each  other, 
Heath  upon  their  upper  flank,  and  the  army  from 
the  Chesapeak  on  the  lower  flank,  placed  our  whole 

*  This  would  have  comprehended  all  the  horses  in  camp  to  be 
spared  from  other  indispensable  services,  as  well  as  all  to  be  af* 
forded  by  the  country;  and  no  doubt,  upon  such  an  occasion,  every 
horse  in  the  neighborhood  and  along  the  route  of  march  would 
have  been  proffered,  and  indeed  such  a  collection  in  four  days 
could  not  be  effected  but  by  great  exertions. 


348  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

force  in  hazard.  Washington  would  not  have  risked 
such  a  game. 

No  hope  could  be  indulged  that  troops  would  as- 
semble from  the  country  through  which  the  enemy 
passed,  capable  of  serious  opposition;  so  that  Wash- 
ington might  calculate  upon  his  march  being  inter- 
rupted and  delayed.  We  had  seen  Arnold  the  year  be- 
fore with  nine  hundred  men  seize  the  metropolis  of 
Virginia,  and  return  to  his  shipping,  twenty-five  miles 
below,  uninjured.  We  had  afterwards  seen  Simcoe 
possess  himself  of  the  Point  of  Fork,  high  up  James 
river,  unhurt;  and  Tarleton  in  Charlotteville,  not  far 
from  the  Biue  Ridge,  almost  capturing  the  governor 
and  legislature  of  the  state.  What  chance  then  could 
exist  of  stopping  Cornwallis  by  any  intermediate  force 
from  the  country?  Passing  the  Potomac,  this  expecta- 
tion, faint  always,  considerably  diminished.  In  the  part 
of  Maryland  through  which  his  course  lay,  a  conside- 
rable portion  of  the  people  had  been  ever  considered 
affected  with  an  ardent  attachment  to  the  British  go- 
vernment; and  Pennsylvania,  the  next  state  in  his  pro- 
gress, whose  union  with  Maryland  might  have  yielded 
a  force  destructive  to  the  enemy,  held  a  population 
'  averse  to  war.  A  great  body  of  its  citizens,  from  reli- 
gious principles,  resist  not  at  all;  another  portion  was 
certainly  inclined  rather  to  aid  than  oppose  the  British 
general;  the  remainder,  not  more  than  one  half,  solid, 
sincere  and  resolute  in  our  cause,  were  scattered  over 
that  extensive  state,  and  consequently  could  not  have 
been  embodied  in  season.  It  is  therefore  probable  that 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    349 

the  enemy  could  not  have  been  stopped  by  the  militia; 
for  in  addition  to  the  above  causes  there  was  a  want  of 
arms  and  ammunition  in  all  the  lower  country;  and  the 
riflemen  west  of  the  mountains  were  too  remote  to  be 
brought  to  act  in  time. 

Should  the  British  general  find  his  enemy's  chief 
efforts  directed  to  occlude  him  from  the  north,  he 
would  turn  to  the  south;  and  what  here  stood  in  his 
way?  In  a  very  few  days  he  would  reach  North  Caro- 
lina, and  in  a  few  more  he  would  encamp  on  the  Cape 
Fear  in  the  midst  of  his  friends.* 

From  this  view  of  the  country  it  is  evident  that 
Cornwallis  would  have  made  good  his  retreat,  unless 
overtaken  by  Washington.  Every  exertion  would  have 
been  essayed  by  the  commander  in  chief,  and  our  wil- 
ling countrymen  would  have  contributed  with  alacrity 
to  support  the  man  of  their  heart.  Yet  difficulties  stub- 
born and  constant  must  be  surmounted.  But  we  will 
presume  that  these  were  overcome,  and  that  Washing- 
ton, detaching  Rochambeau  with  the  army  of  France 
up  the  Chesapeak,  should  be  enabled  to  mount  in  time 
a  superior  force,  and  follow  upon  the  heels  of  the  Bri- 
tish general. 

This  is  the  most  flattering  situation  we  could  ex- 
pect. He  would  not,  could  not,  overtake  him  south  of 
the  Potomac,  if  shaping  his  course  northwardly;  nor 

*  We  have  just  narrated  the  expedition  of  colonel  Fanning, 
proving  conclusively  the  incapable  condition  of  the  well  affected 
of  North  Carolina;  and  general  Greene  was  south  of  the  Santeer 
too  distant  to  interpose. 


350  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

could  he  overtake  him  north  of  the  Dan,  if  proceeding 
to  the  south.  Whenever  he  did  approach  him  action 
would  ensue;  and  thus  Cornwallis  would  be  brought 
to  a  field  battle,  with  a  force  rather  inferior  to  his  ene- 
my. How  much  more  to  be  desired  was  such  change 
to  him  than  his  present  condition.  Victory  gave  him 
safety,  and  victory  was  not  impossible.  He  fought  and 
destroyed  Gates;  he  fought  and  forced  Greene  out  of 
the  field  with  a  greater  disparity  of  force  against  him. 
The  issue  of  the  action  would  decide  his  fate.  If  ad- 
verse he  was  destroyed;  if  successful  he  was  safe. 
Who  then,  comparing  his  lordship's  present  condi- 
tion with  the  worst  that  could  befal  him  in  the  execu- 
tion of  his  heroic  decision,  can  withhold  his  admira- 
tion of  a  determination  so  bold  and  wise* 

Early  in  the  night  the  first  division  of  the  army 
passed  unperceived  to  Gloucester,  the  other  division 
ready  to  embark  for  the  same  shore  as  soon  as  the 
boats  returned.  This  done,  the  arduous  attempt  would 
have  commenced  by  falling  upon  De  Choise.  But 
Providence  had  decreed  otherwise:  a  furious  storm 
suddenly  arose,  and  forced  the  returning  boats  down 
the  river  considerably  below  the  town.  Day  appeared 
before  the  boats  reached  their  destination;  and  the  fore- 
noon was  occupied  in  bringing  back  the  division  which 
had  passed.  Disconcerted  as  was  his  lordship  by  this 
uncontrollable  difficulty,  he  nevertheless  continued  to 
make  head  against  his  enemy  with  his  divided  force; 
cutting  new  embrasures  to  remount  his  dismounted 
guns,  and  expending  his  last  shells  in  maintaining  the 
unequal  contest. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    351 

Our  second  parallel  was  now  completed;  and 

.  .  17th. 

its  numerous  batteries,  stored  with  heavy  ord- 
nance, opened  with  the  day.  Shattered  as  had  been  the 
enemy's  defences,  they  could  not  afford  for  many  hours 
even  shelter  to  the  troops,  much  less  annoyance  to  the 
assailant.  In  ever)  direction  they  were  tumbling  under 
our  destructive  fire;  and  it  was  evident,  even  to  the 
common  soldier,  that  the  town  was  no  longer  tenable. 
Washington  had  only  to  order  his  troops  to  advance  to 
bring  his  foe  to  unconditional  submission;  nor  would 
this  measure  have  been  postponed  longer  than  the  next 
day  had  any  event  occurred,  rendering  it  advisable. 
No  intelligence  was  as  yet  received  of  the  progress  of 
sir  Henry  Clinton;  and  it  appeared  from  subsequent 
information  that  he  was  still  in  New  York. 

Without  the  hope  of  timely  succor,  and  foiled  in  the 
bold  attempt  to  cut  his  way  to  safety,  the  British  gene- 
ral had  no  alternative  left,  but  to  surrender  upon  the 
best  terms  he  could  obtain.  Taking  this  mortifying 
decision,  he  beat  a  parley,  and  proposed  by  letter  ad- 
dressed to  the  commander  in  chief,  a  cessation  of  hos- 
tilities for  twenty-four  hours,  that  commissioners,  mu- 
tually appointed,  might  meet  and  arrange  the  terms  of 
surrender.  Washington  lost  no  time  in  reply;  declaring 
his  "  ardent  desire  to  spare  the  further  effusion  of 
blood,  and  his  readiness  to  listen  to  such  terms  as  were 
admissible;"  but  he  added,  that  as  he  could  not  per- 
mit the  waste  of  time  in  fruitless  discussion,  he  re- 
quired, that  previous  to  the  appointment  of  the  com- 
missioners, his  lordship  would  submit  in  writing  the 


352  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

basis  of  his  proposed  surrender;  to  give  time  for 
which,  hostilities  should  continue  suspended  for  two 
hours.  Cornwallis  acceded  to  the  requisition  of  Wash- 
ington, and  without  delay  proposed  the  basis  of  his 
surrender  of  the  two  posts  of  York  and  Gloucester, 
with  the  naval  force  appertaining  to  them.  This  pro- 
duced a  correspondence,*  which  was  concluded  on  the 

*  Copy  of  the  Correspondence. 

Earl  Cornwallis  to  general  Washington. 

York,  Virginia,  October  17,  1781. 
Sir, 

I  propose  a  cessation  of  hostilities  for  twenty-four  hours;  and 

that  two  officers  may  be  appointed  by  each  side,  to  meet  at  Mr. 

Moore's  house,  to  settle  terms  for  the  surrender  of  the  posts  of 

York  and  Gloucester. 

Cornwallis. 

General  Washington  to  earl  Cornwallis. 

Camp  before  York,  October  17,  1781. 
My  Lord, 

I  have  the  honor  of  receiving  your  lordship's  letter  of  this  date. 

An  ardent  desire  to  save  the  effusion  of  human  blood  will  rea- 
dily incline  me  to  listen  to  such  terms,  for  the  surrender  of  your 
posts  and  garrisons  at  York  and  Gloucester,  as  are  admissible. 

I  wish,  previous  to  the  meeting  of  the  commissioners,  that  your 
lordship's  proposals,  in  writing,  may  be  sent  to  the  American 
lines;  for  which  purpose,  a  suspension  of  hostilities,  during  tw© 
hours  from  the  delivery  of  this  letter,  will  be  granted. 

G.  Washington. 

Marl  Cornwallis  to  general  Washington. 

York,  17th  October,  1781. 
Sir, 
I  have  been  this  moment  honored  with  your  excellency's  let- 
ter dated  this  day. 
The  time  limited  for  sendiog  my  answer  will  not  admit  of  en 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    353 

following  day  in  accordance  with  the  principles  fixed 
by  Washington.    Commissioners  were  immediately 

tering  into  the  detail  of  articles;  but  the  basis  of  my  proposals 
will  be,  that  the  garrisons  of  York  and  Gloucester  shall  be  pri- 
soners of  war,  with  the  customary  honors;  and  for  the  conveni- 
ence of  the  individuals  which  I  have  the  honor  to  command,  that 
the  British  shall  be  sent  to  Britain,  and  the  Germans  to  Germa- 
ny, under  engagements  not  to  serve  against  France,  America,  or 
their  allies,  until  released,  or  regularly  exchanged.  That  all  arms 
and  public  stores  shall  be  delivered  up  to  you;  but  that  the  usual 
indulgence  of  side  arms  to  officers,  and  of  retaining  private  pro- 
perty, shall  be  granted  to  officers  and  soldiers;  and  that  the  in- 
terest of  the  several  individuals  in  civil  capacities  and  connected 
with  us,  shall  be  attended  to. 

If  your  excellency  thinks  that  a  continuance  of  the  suspension 
of  hostilities  will  be  necessary  to  transmit  your  answer,  I  shall 
have  no  objection  to  the  hour  that  you  may  propose. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  &c. 

Cornwallis. 

General  Washington  to  earl  Cornwallis. 

Camp  before  York,  18th  October,  1781. 
My  Lord, 

To  avoid  unnecessary  discussions  and  delays,  I  shall  at  once, 
in  answer  to  your  lordship's  letter  of  yesterday,  declare  the  gene- 
ral basis  upon  which  a  definitive  treaty  of  capitulation  may  take 
place. 

The  garrisons  of  York  and  Gloucester,  including  the  seamen, 
as  you  propose,  shall  be  received  prisoners  of  war.  The  condi- 
tion annexed,  of  sending  the  British  and  German  troops  to  the 
parts  of  Europe  to  which  they  respectively  belong,  is  inadmissi- 
ble. Instead  of  this  they  will  be  marched  to  such  parts  of  the 
country  as  can  most  conveniently  provide  for  their  subsistence; 
and  the  benevolent  treatment  of  the  prisoners,  which  is  invaria- 
bly observed  by  the  Americans,  will  be  extended  to  them.  The 
Vol.  II.  2  Y 


354  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

appointed:  the  viscount  de  Noailles,  of  the  army  of 
Rochambeau,  and  lieutenant  colonel  Laurens,  aid-de- 
same  honors  will  be  granted  to  the  surrendering  army  as  were 
granted  to  the  garrison  of  Charleston. 

The  shipping  and  boats  in  the  two  harbors,  with  all  their  guns, 
stores,  tackling,  furniture,  and  apparel,  shall  be  delivered  in  their 
present  state  to  an  officer  of  the  navy  appointed  to  take  posses- 
sion of  them. 

The  artillery,  arms,  accoutrements,  military  chest,  and  public 
stores  of  every  denomination,  shall  be  delivered,  unimpaired,  to 
the  heads  of  the  departments  to  which  they  respectively  belong. 

The  officers  shall  be  indulged  in  retaining  their  side  arms;  and 
the  officers  and  soldiers  may  preserve  their  baggage  and  effects, 
with  this  reserve,  that  property  taken  in  the  country  will  be  re- 
claimed. 

With  regard  to  the  individuals  in  civil  capacities,  whose  interest 
your  lordship  wishes  may  be  attended  to,  until  they  are  more 
particularly  described,  nothing  definitive  can  be  settled. 

I  have  to  add,  that  I  expect  the  sick  and  wounded  will  be  sup- 
plied with  their  own  hospital  stores,  and  be  attended  by  British 
surgeons,  particularly  charged  with  the  care  of  them. 

Your  lordship  will  be  pleased  to  signify  your  determination, 
either  to  accept  or  reject  the  proposals  now  offered,  in  the  course 
of  two  hours  from  the  delivery  of  this  letter,  that  commissioners 
may  be  appointed  to  digest  the  articles  of  capitulation,  or  a  re- 
newal of  hostilities  may  take  place. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Sec. 
G.  Washington. 

Earl  Cornivallis  to  general  Washington,  dated 

York,  18th  October,  1781. 
Sir, 

I  agree  to  open  a  treaty  of  capitulation  upon  the  basis  of  the 
garrisons  of  York  and  Gloucester,  including  seamen,  being  pri- 
soners of  war,  without  annexing  the  condition  of  their  being  sent 
to  Europe;  but  I  expect  to  receive  a  compensation  in  the  articles 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     355 

camp  to  the  commander  in  chief,  on  the  part  of  the 
allies;  lieutenant  colonel  Dundas,  with  major  Ross, 
aid-de-camp  to  lord  Cornwallis,  on  the  part  of  the  ene- 
my. The  commissioners  met;  but  not  agreeing  defini- 
tively, a  rough  draft  of  the  terms  prepared  were  sub- 
mitted to  the  respective  generals  in  chief.  Washing- 
ton, always  indisposed  to  risk  the  accidents  of  fortune, 
adhered  to  his  decision  already  announced  of  prevent- 
ing the  waste  of  time;  and  therefore  transmitted  the 
next  morning  a  fair  copy  of  the  terms  to  lord  Corn- 
wallis, declaring  his  expectation,  that  they  would  be 

of  capitulation  for  the  surrender  of  Gloucester  in  its  present  state 
of  defence. 

I  shall,  in  particular,  desire  that  the  Bonetta  sloop  of  war  may- 
be left  entirely  at  my  disposal,  from  the  hour  that  the  capitulation 
is  signed,  to  receive  an  aid-de-camp  to  carry  my  despatches  to 
sir  Henry  Clinton.  Such  soldiers  as  I  may  think  proper  to  send 
as  passengers  in  her,  to  be  manned  with  fifty  men  of  her  own  crew, 
and  to  be  permitted  to  sail,  without  examination,  when  my  des- 
patches are  ready;  engaging  on  my  part,  that  the  ship  shall  be 
brought  back  and  delivered  to  you,  if  she  escapes  the  dangers  of 
the  sea;  that  the  crew  and  soldiers  shall  be  accounted  for  in  fu- 
ture exchanges;  that  she  shall  carry  off  no  officer  without  your 
consent,  nor  public  property  of  any  kind.  And  I  shall  likewise 
desire  that  the  traders  and  inhabitants  may  preserve  their  pro- 
perty, and  that  no  person  may  be  punished  or  molested  for  having 
joined  the  British  troops. 

If  you  choose  to  proceed  to  negotiation  on  these  grounds,  I  shall 
appoint  two  field  officers  of  my  army  to  meet  two  officers  from 
you  at  any  time  and  place  that  you  think  proper,  to  digest  the 
articles  of  capitulation. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  &c. 
Cornwallis. 


356  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

ratified  on  the  part  of  his  lordship  before  the  hour  of 
eleven;  and  that  his  troops  would  lay  down  their  arms 
at  two  in  the  afternoon. 

Perceiving  that  it  was  in  vain  longer  to  contend,  the 
British  general  assented  to  the  terms  presented. *  Two 

*  Articles  of  Capitulation. 

Article  1st.  The  garrisons  of  York  and  Gloucester,  including 
the  officers  and  seamen  of  his  Britannic  majesty's  ships,  as  well 
as  other  mariners,  to  surrender  themselves  prisoners  of  war  to 
the  combined  forces  of  America  and  France.  The  land  troops  to 
remain  prisoners  to  the  United  States;  the  naval  to  the  naval  ar- 
my of  his  most  christian  majesty. 

Answer.  Granted. 

Article  2d.  The  artillery,  arms,  accoutrements,  military  chest, 
and  public  stores  df  every  denomination,  shall  be  delivered,  un- 
impaired, to  the  heads  of  departments  appointed  to  receive  them. 

Answer.  Granted. 

Article  3d.  At  twelve  o'clock  this  day  the  two  redoubts  on  the 
left  flank  of  York  to  be  delivered;  the  one  to  a  detachment  of  the 
American  army,  the  other  to  a  detachment  of  French  grenadiers. 

Answer.  Granted. 

The  garrison  of  York  will  march  out  to  a  place  to  be  appointed 
in  front  of  the  posts,  at  two  o'clock  precisely,  with  shouldered 
arms,  colors  cased,  and  drums  beating  a  British  or  German  march. 
They  are  then  to  ground  their  arms,  and  return  to  their  encamp- 
ments, where  they  will  remain  until  they  are  despatched  to  the 
places  of  their  destination.  Two  works  on  the  Gloucester  side 
will  be  delivered  at  one  o'clock  to  a  detachment  of  French  and 
American  troops  appointed  to  possess  them.  The  garrison  will 
march  out  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon:  the  cavalry,  with 
their  swords  drawn,  trumpets  sounding;  and  the  infantry  in  the 
manner  prescribed  for  the  garrison  of  York.  They  are  likewise 
to  return  to  their  encampments  until  they  can  be  finally  march- 
ed off. 

Article 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    357 

points  had  been  strenuously  insisted  on  by  lord  Corn- 
wallis:  the  first,  that  his  army  should  be  sent  to  Eu- 

Article  4th.  Officers  are  to  retain  their  side  arms.  Both  offi- 
cers and  soldiers  to  keep  their  private  property  of  every  kind, 
and  no  part  of  their  baggage  or  papers  to  be  at  any  time  subject 
to  search  or  inspection.'  The  baggage  and  papers  of  officers  and 
soldiers  taken  during  the  siege  to  be  likewise  preserved  for  them. 

Answer.  Granted. 

It  is  understood,  that  any  property,  obviously  belonging  to  the 
inhabitants  of  these  states,  in  the  possession  of  the  garrison,  shall 
be  subject  to  be  reclaimed. 

Article  5th.  The  soldiers  to  be  kept  in  Virginia,  Maryland,  or 
Pennsylvania,  and  as  much  by  regiments  as  possible,  and  sup- 
plied with  the  same  rations  of  provisions  as  are  allowed  to  sol- 
diers in  the  service  of  America.  A  field  officer  from  each  nation, 
to  wit,  British,  Anspach,  and  Hessian,  and  other  officers  on  pa- 
role in  the  proportion  of  one  to  fifty  men,  to  be  allowed  to  reside 
near  their  respective  regiments,  to  visit  them  frequently,  and  be 
witnesses  of  their  treatment;  and  that  their  officers  may  receive 
and  deliver  clothing  and  other  necessaries  for  them;  for  which 
passports  are  to  be  granted  when  applied  for. 

Answer.  Granted. 

Article  6th.  The  general,  staff,  and  other  officers  not  employ- 
ed as  mentioned  in  tho  above  articles,  and  who  choose  it,  to  be 
permitted  to  go  on  parole  to  Europe,  to  New  York,  or  any  other 
American  maritime  post  at  present  in  the  possession  of  the  Bri- 
tish forces,  at  their  own  option;  and  proper  vessels  to  be  granted 
by  the  count  de  Grasse  to  carry  them  under  flags  of  truce  to 
New  York  within  ten  days  from  this  date,  if  possible;  and  they 
to  reside  in  a  district,  to  be  agreed  upon  hereafter,  until  they 
embark. 

The  officers  of  th'e  civil  department  of  the  army  and  navy  to 
be  included  in  this  article.  Passports,  to  go  by  land,  to  be  granted 
to  those  to  whom  vessels  cannot  be  furnished. 
Answer.  Granted. 

Article 


358  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

rope,  upon  the  condition  of  not  serving  against  the 
United   States  or  France  until  exchanged;   and  the 

Article  7th.  The  officers  to  be  allowed  to  keep  soldiers  as  ser- 
vants, according  to  the  common  practice  of  the  service.  Servants, 
not  soldiers,  are  not  to  be  considered  as  prisoners,  and  are  to  be 
allowed  to  attend  their  masters. 

Answer.  Granted. 

Article  8th.  The  Bonetta  sloop  of  war  to  be  equipped,  and 
navigated  by  its  present  captain  and  crew,  and  left  entirely  at  the 
disposal  of  lord  Cornwallis  from  the  hour  that  the  capitulation  is 
signed,  to  receive  an  aid-de-camp  to  carry  despatches  to  sir  Hen- 
ry Clinton,  and  such  soldiers  as  he  may  think  proper  to  send  to 
New  York;  to  be  permitted  to  sail  without  examination,  when 
his  despatches  are  ready. 

His  lordship  engages,  on  his  part,  that  the  ship  shall  be  deli- 
vered to  the  order  of  the  count  de  Grasse,  if  she  escapes  the  dan- 
gers of  the  sea;  that  she  shall  not  carry  off  any  public  stores. 
Any  part  of  the  crew  that  may  be  deficient  on  her  return,  and  the 
soldiers,  passengers,  to  be  accounted  for  on  her  delivery. 

Answer.  Granted. 

Article  9th.  The  traders  are  to  preserve  their  property,  and  to 
be  allowed  three  months  to  dispose  of  or  remove  them;  and  those 
traders  are  not  to  be  considered  as  prisoners  of  war. 

Article  9th.  Answered.  The  traders  will  be  allowed  to  dispose 
of  their  effects,  the  allied  army  having  the  right  of  pre-emption. 
The  traders  to  be  considered  as  prisoners  of  war  upon  parole. 

Article  10th.  Natives  or  inhabitants  of  different  parts  of  this 
country,  at  present  in  York  or  Gloucester,  are  not  to  be  punished 
on  account  of  having  joined  the  British  army. 

Article  10th.  Answered.  This  article  cannot  be  assented  to, 
being  altogether  of  civil  resort. 

Article  1 1th.  Proper  hospitals  to  be  furnished  for  the  sick  and 
wounded.  They  are  to  be  attended  to  by  their  own  surgeons  on 
parole;  and  they  are  to  be  furnished  with  medicines  and  stores 
from  the  American  hospitals. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    359 

second,  security  for  our  citizens  who  had  joined  the 
British  army.  Both  were  peremptorily  refused;  but 
the  last  was  in  effect  yielded  by  permitting  his  lord- 
ship to  send  a  sloop  of  war  with  his  despatches  to  sir 

Answered.  The  hospital  stores  now  in  York  and  Gloucester 
shall  be  delivered  for  the  use  of  the  British  sick  and  wounded. 
Passports  will  be  granted  for  procuring  them  further  supplies 
from  New  York,  as  occasion  may  require;  and  proper  hospitals 
will  be  furnished  for  the  reception  of  the  sick  and  wounded  of 
the  two  garrisons. 

Article  12th.  Wagons  to  be  furnished  to  carry  the  baggage  of 
the  officers  attending  the  soldiers,  and  to  surgeons  when  travel- 
ling on  account  of  the  sick,  attending  the  hospitals  at  public  ex- 
pense. 

Answer.  They  are  to  be  furnished  if  possible. 

Article  1 3th.  The  shipping  and  boats  in  the  two  harbors,  with 
all  their  stores,  guns,  tackling,  and  apparel,  shall  be  delivered  up 
in  their  present  state  to  an  officer  of  the  navy  appointed  to  take 
possession  of  them,  previously  unloading  the  private  property, 
part  of  which  had  been  on  board  for  security  during  the  siege. 

Answer.  Granted. 

Article  14th.  No  article  of  capitulation  to  be  infringed  on  pre- 
tence of  reprisals;  and  if  there  be  any  doubtful  expressions  in  it, 
they  are  to  be  interpreted  according  to  the  common  meaning  and 
acceptation  of  the  words. 

Answer.  Granted. 

Done  at  York  in  Virginia,  October  19th,  1781. 

Cornwallis. 
Thomas  Symonds. 

Done  in  the  trenches  before  Yorktown,  in  Virginia,  October 
19th,  1781. 

G.  Washington. 

Le  Comte  de  Rochambeau. 

Le  Comte  de  Barras, 

en  mon  nom  et  celui  du  Comte  de  Grasse. 


$60  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Henry  Clinton  free  from  search.  Availing  himself  of 
this  asylum  for  the  individuals  with  him,  obnoxious 
to  our  government,  they  were  safely  conveyed  to  New 
York. 

At  two  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  British  army,  led 
by  general  O'Hara,  marched  out  of  its  lines  with  colors 
cased,  and  drums  beating  a  British  march. 

The  author  was  present  at  this  ceremony;  and  cer- 
tainly no  spectacle  could  be  more  impressive  than  the 
one  now  exhibited.  Valiant  troops  yielding  up  their 
arms  after  fighting  in  defence  of  a  cause  dear  to  them, 
(because  the  cause  of  their  country)  under  a  leader  who, 
throughout  the  war,  in  every  grade  and  in  every  situ- 
ation to  which  he  had  been  called,  appeared  the  hector 
of  his  host.  Battle  after  battle  had  he  fought;  climate 
after  climate  had  he  endured;  towns  had  yielded  to  his 
mandate,  posts  were  abandoned  at  his  approach;  armies 
were  conquered  by  his  prowess;  one  nearly  extermi- 
nated, another  chased  from  the  confines  of  South  Ca- 
rolina beyond  the  Dan  into  Virginia,  and  a  third  se- 
verely chastised  in  that  state  on  the  shores  of  James 
river.  But  here  even  he,  in  the  midst  of  his  splendid 
career,  found  his  conqueror. 

The  road  through  which  they  marched  was  lined 
with  spectators,  French  and  American.  On  one  side 
the  commander  in  chief,  surrounded  by  his  suit  and 
the  American  staff,  took  his  station;  on  the  other  side, 
opposite  to  him,  was  the  count  de  Rochambeau  in 
like  manner  attended.  The  captive  army  approached, 
moving  slowly  in  column  with  grace  and  precision. 
Universal  silence  was  observed  amidst  the  vast  con- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   361 

course,  and  the  utmost  decency  prevailed:  exhibiting  in 
demeanor  an  awful  sense  of  the  vicissitudes  of  human 
life,  mingled  with  commiseration  for  the  unhappy. 
The  head  of  the  column  approached  the  commander 
in  chief; — O'Hara,  mistaking  the  circle,  turned  to  that 
on  his  left  for  the  purpose  of  paying  his  respects  to 
the  commander  in  chief,  and  requesting  farther  orders; 
when  quickly  discovering  his  error,  with  much  em- 
barrassment in  his  countenance,  he  flew  across  the 
road,  and  advancing  up  to  Washington,  asked  pardon 
for  his  mistake,  apologized  for  the  absence  of  lord 
Cornwallis,  and  begged  to  know  his  further  pleasure. 
The  general  feeling  his  embarrassment,  relieved  it  by 
referring  him  with  much  politeness  to  general  Lincoln 
for  his  government.  Returning  to  the  head  of  the  co- 
lumn, it  again  moved  under  the  guidance  of  Lincoln  to 
the  field  selected  for  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony. 

Every  eye  was  turned,  searching  for  the  British 
commander  in  chief,  anxious  to  look  at  that  man,  here- 
tofore so  much  the  object  of  their  dread.  All  were  dis- 
appointed. Cornwallis  held  himself  back  from  the  hu- 
miliating scene;  obeying  sensations  which  his  great 
character  ought  to  have  stifled.  He  had  been  unfortu- 
nate, not  from  any  false  step  or  deficiency  of  exertion 
on  his  part,  but  from  the  infatuated  policy  of  his  supe- 
rior, and  the  united  power  of  his  enemy,  brought  to 
bear  upon  him  alone.  There  was  nothing  with  which 
he  could  reproach  himself;  there  was  nothing  with 
which  he  could  reproach  his  brave  and  faithful  army: 
why  not  then  appear  at  its  head  in  the  day  of  misfor- 

Vol.  II.  2Z 


362  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

tune,  as  he  had  always  done  in  the  day  of  triumph? 
The  British  general  in  this  instance  deviated  from  his 
usual  line  of  conduct,  dimning  the  splendor  of  his  long 
and  brilliant  career. 

The  post  of  Gloucester,  falling  with  that  of  York, 
was  delivered  up  on  the  same  day  by  lieutenant  colo- 
nel Tarleton,  who  had  succeeded  to  the  command  on 
the  transfer  of  lieutenant  colonel  Dundas  to  the  more 
important  duties  assigned  to  him  in  the  defence  of 
York.  Previous  to  the  surrender,  Tarleton  waited  upon 
general  Choise  and  communicated  to  that  officer  his 
apprehensions  for  his  personal  safety  if  put  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  American  militia.  This  conference  was 
sought  for  the  purpose  of  inducing  an  arrangement, 
which  should  shield  him  from  the  vengeance  of  the 
inhabitants.  General  Choise  did  not  hesitate  a  moment 
in  gratifying  the  wishes  of  Tarleton.  The  legion  of 
Lauzun  and  the  corps  of  Mercer  were  selected  by  the 
general  to  receive  the  submitting  enemy,  while  the 
residue  of  the  allied  detachment  was  held  back  in  camp. 
As  soon  as  the  ceremony  of  surrender  was  performed, 
lieutenant  colonel  Hugo,  of  the  legion  of  Mercer,  with 
his  militia  and  grenadiers  took  possession  of  the  re- 
doubts, and  protected  the  hostile  garrison  from  those 
outrages  so  seriously,  though  unwarrantably,  antici- 
pated by  the  British  commandant.  It  would  have  been 
very  satisfactory  to  have  been  enabled  to  give  the  rea- 
sons which  induced  this  communication  from  lieute- 
nant colonel  Tarleton,  but  Choise  did  not  go  into  the 
inquiry,  and  they  remain  unascertained. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    363 

Indubitably  they  did  not  grow  out  of  the  American 
character  or  habit.  Rarely  in  the  course  of  the  war 
were  the  rights  of  humanity  violated,  or  the  feelings  of 
sympathy  and  commiseration  for  the  unfortunate  sup- 
pressed by  the  Americans;  and  a  deviation  from  our 
general  system  ought  not  now  to  have  been  expected, 
as  the  commander  in  chief  was  present,  and  the  solem- 
nity of  a  capitulation  had  interposed.  We  look  in  vain 
to  this  quarter  for  the  cause  of  this  procedure;  and 
therefore  conclude  that  it  must  have  arisen  from  events 
known  to  the  lieutenant  colonel  himself,  and  applying 
to  the  corps  under  his  command. 

By  the  official  returns  it  appears  that  the  besieging 
army,  at  the  termination  of  the  siege,  amounted  to 
sixteen  thousand  men, — five  thousand  five  hundred 
continentals,  three  thousand  five  hundred  militia,  and 
seven  thousand  French.  The  British  force  in  toto  is 
put  down  at  seven  thousand  one  hundred  and  seven; 
of  which  only  four  thousand  and  seventeen,  rank  and 
file,  are  stated  to  have  been  fit  for  duty. 

The  army,  with  every  thing  belonging  to  it,  fell  to 
the  United  States;  while  the  shipping  and  all  its  appur- 
tenances were  allotted  to  our  ally.  The  British  loss, 
including  officers,  amounted  to  five  hundred  and  fifty- 
eight;  while  ours  did  not  exceed  three  hundred. 

We  obtained  an  excellent  park  of  field  artillery,  all 
of  brass.  At  any  other  period  of  the  war  no  acquisi- 
tion could  have  been  more  acceptable. 

The  commander  in  chief,  in  his  orders  of  congratu- 
lation on  the  happy  event,  made  his  cordial  acknow- 


364  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

ledgments  to  the  whole  army,  which  was  well  de- 
served; as  in  every  stage  of  the  service  it  had  exem- 
plified unvarying  zeal,  vigor  and  intrepidity.  On  the 
count  de  Rochambeau,  the  generals  Chatelleux  and 
Viomenil,  high  applause  was  bestowed  for  the  distin- 
guished support  derived  from  them  throughout  the 
siege;  and  governor  Nelson  of  Virginia  received  the 
tribute  of  thanks  so  justly  due  to  his  great  and  useful 
exertions.  The  generals  Lincoln,  la  Fayette,  and  Steu- 
ben, are  named  with  much  respect.  General  Knox, 
commanding  the  artillery,  and  general  du  Portail,  chief 
of  engineers  in  the  American  army,  are  particularly 
honored  for  their  able  and  unremitting  assistance. 

On  the  very  day  in  which  lord  Cornwallis  surren- 
dered, sir  Henry  Clinton  left  Sandy  Hook,  with  the 
promised  relief;  originally  put  down  at  four  thousand, 
afterwards  at  more  than  five  thousand,  now  seven  thou- 
sand; made  up  of  his  best  corps,  escorted  by  admiral 
Digby,  who  had  succeeded  Graves,  with  twenty-five 
sail  of  the  line,  two  ships  of  fifty  guns,  and  eight  fri- 
gates. Such  want  of  precision  must  always  blast  milita- 
ry enterprise.  Why  it  happened,  remains  unexplained; 
but  there  seems  to  have  been,  in  all  expeditions  of  the 
same  sort,  either  from  English  ports  or  from  those  of 
the  colonies,  the  same  unaccountable  dilatoriness,  uni- 
formly producing  deep  and  lasting  injury  to  the  nation. 

After  a  fine  passage  the  fleet  appeared  on  the  24th 
off  the  capes  of  Virginia,  where  sir  Henry  Clinton  re- 
ceived intelligence  of  the  fall  of  his  army.  Continuing 
some  days  longer  off  the  mouth  of  the  Chesapeak  to 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   365 

ascertain  the  truth,  his  information  became  confirmed; 
when  further  delay  being  useless  he  returned  to  New 
York. 

In  the  mean  time  de  Grasse  continued  on  his  an- 
chorage ground  with  thirty-six  sail  of  the  line,  and  the 
usual  proportion  of  frigates,  hastening  preparations  for 
his  departure. 

Why  sir  Henry  Clinton  should  have  ever  encoura- 
ged his  general  in  Virginia  to  expect  relief  seems  un- 
accountable. The  project  adopted,  too  late,  by  Corn- 
wallis  of  escaping  north  or  south,  was  much  more 
feasible  than  the  plan  of  relief  so  confidently  relied 
upon  by  the  British  general  in  chief.  How  were  twenty- 
five  ships  of  the  line  to  force  their  way  into  the  bay  of 
Chesapeak,  occupied  by  a  superior  hostile  fleet?  But 
admitting  the  improbable  event;  what  then  would  en- 
sue? Sir  Henry,  with  his  seven  thousand  men,  would 
disembark  up  the  bay  so  as  to  approach  Gloucester 
point,  or  he  would  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Hampton; 
from  whence  the  road  to  York  is  direct,  and  the  dis- 
tance not  more  than  one  day's  march.  To  land  at  the 
former  place  would  be  absurd,  unless  the  French  fleet 
was  annihilated, — an  indecisive  action,  though  unfa- 
vorable to  France,  could  not  produce  the  desired  end. 
It  was  scarcely  possible  for  such  inferiority  of  naval 
force  to  have  struck  so  decisive  a  blow. 

The  route  to  Gloucester  was  therefore  not  eligible; 
as  the  York  river  intervening,  sure  to  be  occupied  by 
the  French  fleet,  would  sever  the  two  armies.  That  by 
the  way  of  Hampton,  or  from  James  river,  was  occlu- 


366  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

ded  by  only  one  obstacle,  and  that  obstacle  was  insur- 
mountable. Sixteen  thousand  bayonets  interposed; 
twelve  thousand  five  hundred  of  which  were  in  the 
hands  of  regulars,  all  chosen  troops. 

Cornvvallis,  with  his  small  force,  could  not  leave  his 
lines;  if  he  did,  Washington,  moving  towards  Clinton, 
would  have  only  to  turn  upon  his  lordship  as  soon  as 
he  ventured  from  his  intrenched  camp,  and  in  one 
hour  he  must  have  destroyed  him.  Clinton  next  in  or- 
der must  infallibly  fall.  Acting  upon  the  opposite  prin- 
ciple, Cornwallis  would  continue  in  his  position,  and 
Washington  would  attack  Clinton  on  his  advance, 
midway  between  Hampton  and  York,  or  between  his 
point  of  debarkation  on  James  river  and  our  lines;  the 
issue  would  be  the  same,  though  the  order  would  be 
reversed:  Clinton  would  be  first  destroyed,  and  Corn- 
wallis would  then  surrender. 

The  further  the  inquiry  is  pursued  the  more  con- 
spicuous will  the  want  of  due  foresight  and  wise  action 
in  the  British  commander  in  chief  appear.  The  mo- 
ment he  was  informed  by  his  government  that  he  might 
expect  a  French  fleet  upon  our  coast  in  the  course  of 
the  autumn,  he  ought  to  have  taken  his  measures  as 
if  he  had  been  assured  of  the  maritime  superiority 
which  happened.  Thus  acting,  should  the  presumed 
event  happily  fail,  he  was  safe;  should  it  unhappily  be 
realized,  he  would  have  been  prepared  to  meet  it. 

Relying  upon  the  superiority  of  the  British  navy, 
lie  seems  never  to  have  reflected  that  the  force  of  con- 
trollable accidents  might  give  that  superiority  to  his 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    367 

enemy.  Had  he  for  a  moment  believed  that  the  care 
of  the  spoils  of  Saint  Eustatius  could  have  benumbed 
the  zeal  of  sir  G.  B.  Rodney,  commanding  in  chief 
the  naval  force  of  Great  Britain  in  our  hemisphere, 
he  might  have  pursued  a  safer  course.  Or  if  he  had 
conceived  it  possible  that  a  storm  might  have  torn 
to  pieces  one  fleet,  injuring  but  little  the  other,  (an  oc- 
currence which  sometimes  happens)  he  would  have 
discerned  the  wisdom  of  relying  upon  himself  for  safe- 
ty; and  consequently  would  have  ordered  Cornwallis 
to.  have  taken  post  on  the  south  of  James  river,  ready 
to  regain  North  Carolina  should  it  become  necessary. 
But  never  presuming  upon  the  interposition  of  any 
incident  giving  to  France  a  naval  ascendency  upon 
our  coast,  he  took  his  measures  upon  common- place 
principles,  following  the  beaten  tract,  and  fell  an  easy 
prey  to  his  sagacious  adversary;  who,  to  prevent  the 
interference  of  any  occurrence  impeding  the  progress 
of  his  views,  made  ready  in  time  to  take  his  part  as 
circumstances  might  invite,  and  to  press  forward  to 
his  end  with  unslackening  vigor.  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
was — like  most  of  the  generals  who  appeared  in  this 
war — good,  but  not  great.  He  was  an  active,  zealous, 
honorable,  well  bred  soldier;  but  Heaven  had  not 
touched  his  mind  with  its  cetherial  spark.  He  could 
not  soar  above  the  ordinary  level;  and  though  calcu- 
lated to  shine  in  a  secondary  sphere,  was  sure  to  twin- 
kle in  the  highest  station.  When  presidents,  kings,  or 
emperors  confide  armies  to  soldiers  of  common  minds, 
they  ought  not  to  be  surprised  at  the  disasters  which 


368  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

follow.  The  war  found  general  Gage  in  chief  com- 
mand in  America;  confessedly  better  fitted  for  peace. 
He  was  changed  for  sir  William  Howe;  who,  after  two 
campaigns,  was  withdrawn,  or  withdrew.  Sir  Henry 
Clinton  succeeded;  and  when  peace  became  assured, 
sir  Guy  Carleton,  afterwards  lord  Dorchester,  took 
his  place.  By  a  strange  fatality  the  soldier  best  quali- 
fied for  the  arduous  duties  of  war,  was  reserved  to 
conduct  the  scenes  of  returning  peace.  This  general 
was  and  had  been  for  many  years  governor  of  Canada. 
He  defended  Quebec  against  Montgomery;  where  he 
gave  strong  indications  of  a  superior  mind  by  his  use 
of  victory.  Instead  of  detaining  his  enemy  (fellow  sub- 
jects, as  he  called  them)  in  prison  ships;  committing 
them  to  the  discretion  of  mercenary  commissaries  for 
food  and  fuel,  and  to  military  bailiffs  for  safe  keeping, 
Carleton  paroled  the  officers,  expressing  his  regret 
that  they  should  have  been  induced  to  maintain  a  cause 
wrong  in  principle,  and  fatal  to  its  abettors  in  issue; 
and  sent  home  the  privates,  giving  to  all  every  requi- 
site aid  for  their  comfortable  return,  enjoining  them 
never  to  take  up  arms  a  second  time  against  their 
sovereign;  as  thereby  they  would  forfeit  the  security 
and  comfort  which  he  had  presented,  as  well  as  violate 
their  own  peace  of  mind,  by  cancelling  a  contract 
founded  in  the  confidence  of  their  truth. 

Commiserating  the  delusion  under  which  they  had 
acted,  he  encouraged  their  abandonment  of  the  new 
doctrines;  anathematizing  with  bitterness  the  arts, 
intrigues,  and  wickedness  of  their  rebellious  leaders. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   369 

against  whom,  and  whom  only,  the  thunderbolt  of 
power  ought,  in  his  judgment,  to  be  hurled. 

The  effect  of  such  policy  was  powerful.  General 
Greene,  from  whom  the  information  is  derived,  ex- 
pressed his  conviction  that  the  kindness  of  Carleton 
was  more  to  be  dreaded  than  the  bayonet  of  Howe; 
and  mentioned  as  an  undeniable  fact,  that  in  the  vari- 
ous districts  to  which  our  captured  troops  returned, 
not  excepting  the  faithful  state  of  Connecticut,  the 
impressions  made  by  the  relation  of  the  treatment  ex- 
perienced from  him  produced  a  lasting  and  unpropi- 
tious  effect. 

Here  is  exhibited  deep  knowledge  of  the  human 
heart, — the  ground  work  of  greatness  in  the  art  of  war. 
When  we  add  the  honorable  display  of  patriotism 
evinced  by  the  same  officer,  in  his  support  of  the  ex- 
pedition under  lieutenant  general  Burgoyne,  intruded 
by  the  minister  into  an  important  command  which  the 
governor  of  Canada  had  a  right  to  expect,  and  subjoin 
that  when  a  colonel  at  the  head  of  a  regiment  in  the 
army  under  Wolfe,  before  Quebec,  he  was  the  only 
officer  of  that  grade  entrusted  by  that  great  captain 
with  a  separate  command,  America  may  justly  rejoice 
in  the  misapplication  of  such  talents,  and  Great  Bri- 
tain as  trulv  lament  the  infatuation  of  her  rulers,  who 
overlooked  a  leader  of  such  high  promise. 

Cornwallis,  in  his  official  letter,  representing  his  fall, 
gave  serious  umbrage  to  sir  Henry  Clinton;  so  diffi- 
cult is  it  to  relate  the  truth  without  offence,  when  com- 
municating disaster  resulting  from  the  improvidence, 

Vol.  II.  3  A 


570  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

or  incapacity  of  a  superior.  That  the  reader  may  judge 
of  this  last  act  of  the  most  distinguished  general  op- 
posed to  us  in  the  course  of  the  war,  his  lordship's 
letter  has  been  annexed.* 

General  Greene,  as  has  been  mentioned,  hoping  that 
as  soon  as  the  army  of  Virginia  was  brought  to  sub- 
mission the  French  admiral  might  be  induced  to  ex- 
tend his  co-operation  further  south,  had  sent  to  the 
commander  in  chief  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  with  a  full 
and  minute  description  of  the  situation  and  force  of 
the  enemy  in  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia. 

This  officer  arrived  a  few  days  before  the  surrender; 
and  having  executed  his  mission,  was  detained  by  the 
commander  in  chief  to  accompany  the  expedition, 
which  he  anxiously  desired  to  forward  conformably  to 
the  plan  of  general  Greene. 

The  moment  he  finished  the  great  work  before  him 
he  addressed  himself  to  the  count  de  Grasse,  urging 
his  further  aid  if  compatible  with  his  ulterior  objects. 
The  French  admiral  was  well  disposed  to  subserve  the 
views  of  Washington;  but  the  interest  of  his  king  and 
his  own  engagements  forbad  longer  delay  on  our  coasts. 
Failing  in  the  chief  object  of  his  address,  Washington 
informed  the  admiral  of  his  intention  to  reinforce  the 
army  in  the  South,  dilating  upon  the  benefits  insepara- 
ble from  its  speedy  junction  with  general  Greene,  and 
his  hope  that  the  conveyance  of  the  reinforcements  to 
Cape  Fear  river  would  not  be  inconvenient.  This  pro- 
position was  cheerfully  adopted,  and  the  corps  destined 

*  See  Appendix,  N< 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    371 

for  the  South,  were  put  under  the  direction  of  the 
marquis  la  Fayette,  with  orders  to  possess  himself  of 
Wilmington,  situated  fifteen  miles  up  the  Cape  Fear, 
still  held  by  major  Craig,  and  from  thence  to  march  to 
the  southern  headquarters.  It  so  happened,  that  the 
count  found  it  necessary  to  recede  from  his  promise; 
so  that  general  Greene,  much  as  he  pressed  naval  co- 
operation, which  could  not  fail  in  restoring  the  three 
southern  states  completely,  was  not  only  disappointed 
in  this  his  fond  expectation,  but  was  also  deprived  of 
the  advantage  to  be  derived  from  the  facile  and  expe- 
ditious conveyance  of  his  reinforcement  as  at  first 
arranged. 

The  army  of  Rochambeau  was  cantoned  for  the 
winter  in  Virginia:  the  brigades  of  Wayne  and  Gist 
were  detached  to  the  south  under  major  general  St. 
Clair:  the  remainder  of  the  American  army  was 
transported  by  water  to  the  head  of  the  Chesapeak, 
under  major  general  Lincoln,  who  was  ordered  to  re- 
gain the  Hudson  river;  and  the  detachment  with  lieu- 
tenant Simon  re-embarked,  while  the  French  admiral 
returned  to  the  West  Indies. 

Thus  concluded  the  important  co-operation  of  the 
allied  forces;  concerted  at  the  court  of  Versailles,  ex- 
ecuted with  precision  on  the  part  of  count  de  Grasse, 
and  conducted  with  judgment  by  the  commander  in 
chief.  Great  was  the  joy  diffused  throughout  our  infant 
empire.  Bon  fires,  illuminations,  feasts,  and  balls,  pro- 
claimed the  universal  delight;  congratulatory  addresses, 
warm  from  the  heart,  poured  in  from  every  quarter,, 


372  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

hailing  in  fervid  terms  the  patriot  hero;  the  reverend 
ministers  of  our  holy  religion,  the  learned  dignitaries 
of  science,  the  grave  rulers  and  governors  of  the  land, 
all  tendered  their  homage;  and  the  fair,  whose  smiles 
best  reward  the  brave,  added,  too,  their  tender  grati- 
tude and  sweet  applause. 

This  wide  acclaim  of  joy  and  of  confidence,  as  rare 
as  sincere,  sprung  not  only  from  the  conviction  that 
our  signal  success  would  bring  in  its  train  the  bless- 
ings of  peace,  so  wanted  by  our  wasted  country,  and 
from  the  splendor  with  which  it  encircled  our  national 
name,  but  from  the  endearing  reflection  that  the  mighty 
exploit  had  been  achieved  by  our  faithful,  beloved 
Washington.  We  had  seen  him  struggling  through- 
out the  war  with  inferior  force  against  the  best  troops 
of  England,  assisted  by  her  powerful  navy;  surrounded 
with  difficulties;  oppressed  by  want;  never  dismayed, 
never  appalled,  never  despairing  of  the  commonwealth. 
We  have  seen  him  renouncing  his  own  fame  as  a  sol- 
dier, his  safety  as  a  man;  in  his  unalloyed  love  of  coun- 
try, weakening  his  own  immediate  force  to  strengthen 
that  of  his  lieutenants;  submitting  with  equanimity  to 
his  own  consequent  inability  to  act,  and  rejoicing  in 
their  triumphs  because  best  calculated  to  uphold  the 
great  cause  entrusted  to  his  care;  at  length  by  one 
great  and  final  exploit  under  the  benign  influence  of 
Providence,  lifted  to  the  pinnacle  of  glory,  the  merited 
reward  of  his  toils,  his  sufferings,  his  patience,  his  he- 
roism, and  his  virtue.  Wonderful  man!  rendering  it 
difficult  by  his  conduct  throughout  life  to  decide  whe- 
ther he  most  excelled  in  goodness  or  in  greatness. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    373  - 

Congress  testified  unanimously  their  sense  of  the 
great  achievement.*  To  Washington,  de  Gfasse,  Ro- 

*By  the  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled,  October  29th, 
1781. 

Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  United  States,  in  Congress 
assembled,  be  presented  to  his  excellency  general  Washington, 
for  the  eminent  services  which  he  has  rendered  to  the  United 
States,  and  particularly  for  the  well  concerted  plan  against  the 
British  garrisons  in  York  and  Gloucester;  for  the  vigor,  atten- 
tion, and  military  skill  with  which  the  plan  was  executed;  and  for 
the  wisdom  and  prudence  manifested  in  the  capitulation. 
.  That  the  thanks  of  the  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled, 
be  presented  to  his  excellency  the  count  de  Rochambeau,  for  the 
cordiality,  zeal,  judgment  and  fortitude,  with  which  he  seconded 
and  advanced  the  progress  of  the  allied  army  against  the  British 
garrison  in  York. 

That  the  thanks  of  the  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled, 
be  presented  to  his  excellency  count  de  Grasse,  for  his  display  of 
skill  and  bravery  in  attacking  and  defeating  the  British  fleet  off 
the  bay  of  Chesapeak;  and  for  his  zeal  and  alacrity  in  rendering, 
with  the  fleet  under  his  command,  the  most  effectual  and  distin- 
guished aid  and  support  to  the  operations  of  the  allied  army  in 
Virginia. 

That  the  thanks  of  the  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled, 
be  presented  to  the  commanding  and  other  officers  of  the  corps 
of  artillery  and  engineers  of  the  allied  army,  who  sustained  extra- 
ordinary fatigue  and  danger,  in  their  animated  and  gallant  ap- 
proaches to  the  lines  of  the  enemy. 

That  general  Washington  be  directed  to  communicate  to  the 
other  officers  and  the  soldiers  under  his  command  the  thanks  of 
the  United  States  in  congress  assembled,  for  their  conduct  and 
valor  on  this  occasion. 

Resolved,  That  the  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled,  will 
cause  to  be  erected  at  York,  in  Virginia,  a  marble  column,  adorn- 
ed with  emblems  of  the  alliance  between  the  United  States  and 


374  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

chambeau,  and  to  their  armies,  they  presented  the 
thanks  of  the  nation,  the  most  grateful  reward  which 

his  most  christian  majesty,  and  inscribed  with  a  succinct  narra- 
tive of  the  surrender  of  earl  Cornwallis  to  his  excellency  general 
Washington,  commander  in  chief  of  the  combined  forces  of 
America  and  France,  to  his  excellency  the  count  de  Rocham- 
beau,  commanding  the  auxiliary  troops  of  his  most  christian 
majesty  in  America,  and  his  excellency  the  count  de  Grasse, 
commanding  in  chief  the  naval  army  of  France  in  the  Chesapeak. 

Resolved,  That  two  stands  of  the  colors  taken  from  the  British 
army  under  the  capitulation  of  York,  be  presented  to  his  excel- 
lency general  Washington,  in  the  name  of  the  United  States,  in 
congress  assembled. 

Resolved,  That  two  pieces  of  field  ordnance,  taken  from  the 
British  army  under  the  capitulation  of  York,  be  presented  by  the 
commander  in  chief  of  the  American  army  to  count  de  Rocham- 
beau;  and  that  there  be  engraved  thereon  a  short  memorandum, 
that  congress  were  induced  to  present  them  from  consideration 
of  the  illustrious  part  which  he  bore  in  effectuating  the  surrender. 

Resolved,  That  the  secretary  of  foreign  affairs  be  directed  to 
request  the  minister  plenipotentiary  of  his  most  christian  majes- 
ty, to  inform  his  majesty,  that  it  is  the  wish  of  Congress  that  count 
de  Grasse  may  be  permitted  to  accept  a  testimony  of  their  appro- 
bation, similar  to  that  to  be  presented  to  count  de  Rochambeau. 

Resolved,  That  the  board  of  war  be  directed  to  present  to  lieu- 
tenant colonel  Tilghman,  in  the  name  of  the  United  States,  in 
Congress  assembled,  a  horse  properly  caparisoned,  and  an  elegant 
sword  in  testimony  of  their  high  opinion  of  his  merit  and  ability.* 

November 

*  Lieutenant  colonel  Tench  Tilghman  had  served  from  the  year  1776  in 
Ihe  character  of  aid-de-camp  to  the  commander  in  chief,  was  highly  be- 
loved and  respected,  and  was  honored  by  Washington  with  bearing  to 
congress  his  official  report  of  the  surrender  of  the  British  army  in  Vir- 
gjn'ra- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    3  75 

freemen  can  bestow,  or  freemen  receive;  and  passed  a 
resolution  to  erect  a  monument  of  marble  on  the  ground 
of  victory,  as  well  to  commemorate  the  alliance  be- 
tween the  two  nations  as  this  the  proud  triumph  of 
their  united  arms.  Nor  did  they  stop  here.  Desirous 
that  the  chiefs  of  the  allied  forces  should  carry  with 
them  into  retirement  some  of  the  trophies  of  their 
prowess,  they  presented  to  the  commander  in  chief 
two  of  the  standards  taken  from  the  enemy,  to  the  ad- 
miral two  field  pieces,  and  a  like  number  to  the  gene- 
ral of  the  French  troops.  They  concluded,  by  dedica- 
ting the  30th  of  December  for  national  supplication 
and  thanksgiving  to  Almighty  God  in  commemoration 
of  his  gracious  protection,  manifested  by  the  late  happy 
issue  of  their  councils  and  efforts,  themselves  attending 
in  a  body  divine  worship  on  that  day. 

November  7th,  1781. 
Resolved,  That  the  secretary  of  foreign  affairs  be  directed  to 
prepare  a  sketch  of  emblems  of  the  alliance  between  his  most 
christian  majesty  and  the  United  States,  proper  to  be  inscribed 
on  the  column  to  be  erected  in  the  town  of  York,  under  the  reso- 
lution of  the  29th  day  of  October  last. 

Resolved,  That  an  elegant  sword  be  presented  in  the  name  of 
the  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled,  to  colonel  Humphreys, 
aid-de-camp  of  general  Washington,  to  whose  care  the  standards 
taken  under  the  capitulation  of  York  were  consigned,  as  a  testimo- 
ny of  their  opinion  of  his  fidelity  and  ability,  and  that  the  board 
of  war  take  order  therein. 

Extract  from  the  minutes. 

Charles  Thompson,  Secretary. 


376  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

As  soon  as  it  was  ascertained  that  the  count  de 
Grasse  would  not  take  under  convoy  the  troops  des- 
tined to  reinforce  the  southern  army,  general  St.  Clair 
was  ordered  to  prepare  for  immediate  motion;  and 
lieutenant  colonel  Lee  was  directed  to  return  with  the 
despatches  of  the  commander  in  chief.  Hastening  to 
the  south,  the  lieutenant  colonel  proceeded  with  expe- 
dition to  the  High  Hills  of  Santee, — still  the  head- 
quarters of  the  southern  army.  General  Greene  find- 
ing himself  baffled  in  the  expectation  he  had  indulged, 
of  being  sufficiently  strengthened  to  complete  the  res- 
toration of  the  South,  which  he  had  so  happily,  in  a 
great  degree,  accomplished;  nevertheless,  determined, 
though  reduced  by  battle  and  by  disease,  to  remain 
inactive  no  longer  than  the  season  rendered  it  neces- 
sary. The  autumn  in  South  Carolina  is  extremely  de- 
bilitating as  well  as  prolific  in  the  production  of  dis- 
ease. Prepared  to  move,  he  only  waited  for  the  com- 
mencement of  the  cool  season.  The  general  was  well 
apprized  of  the  effect  of  the  late  hard  fought  battle; 
which,  notwithstanding  the  enemy's  claim  to  victory, 
had  broken  the  force  and  spirit  of  the  British  army. 
Nor  was  he  unmindful  in  his  calculations  of  the  rela- 
tive condition  of  the  two  armies,  that  this  operative 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   377 

battle  had  been  fought  by  his  infantry  only;  the  horse 
under  Washington,  although  very  much  shattered, 
had  not  in  the  smallest  degree  contributed  to  the  issue 
of  the  action;  while  that  of  the  legion  had  by  a  ma- 
noeuvre only  aided  the  van  in  the  morning  rencontre: 
a  circumstance  well  known  to  the  enemy,  and  which 
could  not  be  overlooked  in  his  estimate  of  the  past  and 
of  the  future.  The  American  general  being  convinced 
that  he  was  in  effect  the  conqueror,  he  conformed  his 
plan  and  measures  to  this  character. 

In  the  severe  conflict  during  the  last  ten  months, 
the  districts  between  the  Santee  and  the  Pedee,  and 
between  the  Wateree  and  Congaree,  having  been  suc- 
cessively the  seat  of  war,  their  cultivation  had  been 
neglected.  The  product  of  the  soil  was  scanty,  and  of 
that  little,  all  not  concealed  for  the  subsistence  of  the 
inhabitants  had  been  taken  by  the  armies.  The  only 
country  from  which  Greene  could  draw  supplies  was 
that  on  the  Lower  Pedee,  and  this  was  so  distant  as  to 
render  the  conveyance  to  camp  extremely  inconve- 
nient, which  added  to  the  insecurity  of  the  route  of 
transportation,  from  its  exposure  to  the  enemy's  ma- 
ritime interruption.  It  fortunately  happened  that  sub- 
sistence for  man  and  horse  was  most  abundant  in  the 
quarter  of  the  state  to  which  the  general  was  desirous 
of  transferring  the  war.  Although  he  had  confidently 
expected  that  the  commander  in  chief  would  have 
succeeded  in  prevailing  on  the  French  admiral  to  con- 
tinue in  our  waters  long  enough  for  the  execution  of 
the  plan  submitted  by  him  to  Washington,  neverthe- 

Vol.  II.  3B 


378  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

less  he  sedulously  applied  himself  in  preparing  for  the 
partial  accomplishment  of  his  object  with  his  own 
means,  in  case  of  disappointment.  In  North  Carolina, 
Wilmington  remained  in  the  possession  of  the  enemy. 
In  South  Carolina  he  had  only  Charleston  and  the  con- 
tiguous islands,  and  the  isthmus  formed  by  the  rivers 
Cooper  and  Ashley,  with  a  portion  of  the  country 
lying  between  the  last  river  and  the  Edisto.  But  in 
Georgia,  Savannah  and  a  larger  space  of  country 
were  in  their  uncontrolled  possession. 

With  the  requested  aid  the  American  general  could 
not  have  been  disappointed  in  the  entire  liberation  of 
the  three  states;  without  ;his  aid,  he  flattered  himself 
with  being  able,  by  judicious  and  vigorous  operations, 
to  relieve  North  Carolina  and  Georgia. 

To  this  object  he  turned  his  attention,  and  for  this 
purpose  he  determined  to  place  himself  intermediate 
to  Charleston  and  Savannah.  The  district  south  of  the 
Edisto  fitted  his  views  in  point  of  locality;  and  having 
been  since  1779  exempt  in  a  great  degree  from  mili- 
tary operations,  agriculture  had  been  cherished,  and 
the  crops  of  rice  in  particular  were  tolerably  abun- 
dant. This  substitute  for  bread,  however  unpalatable 
to  Marylanders  and  Virginians,  of  whom  Greene's 
army  was  principally  composed,  is  nourishing  to  man, 
and  with  the  Indian  pea,  which  grows  luxuriantly  in 
South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  affords  nutritious  forage 
for  horse.  He  put  his  army  in  motion  (on  the  18th  of 
November),  and  soon  ;:ftcr  he  crossed  the  Congaree, 
left  the  main  bod)  under  the  orders  of  colonel  Wil- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    379 

liams,  'w  ho  was  directed  to  advance  by  easy  and  stated 
inarches  to  the  Four  Holes,  a  branch  of  the  Edisto, 
while  the  general  himself,  at  the  head  of  the  light 
troops,  took  a  circuitous  route  to  the  same  place.  Cor- 
respondency in  the  movement  of  the  two  corps  being 
preconcerted,  Williams  proceeded  on  the  direct  route 
to  the  Four  Holes;  and  Greene  advanced  by  forced 
marches  upon  Dorchester,  where  the  enemy  had  estab- 
lished a  post,  garrisoned  at  present  by  four  hundred 
infantry,  all  their  cavalry,  not  exceeding  one  hundred 
and  fifty,  and  some  militia.  This  post  (if  surprised) 
could  be  readily  carried,  and  such  a  result  was  not 
improbable.  If  not  surprised,  the  general  flattered 
himself,  unless  the  enemy  had  recovered  from  the 
despondency  which  followed  the  battle  of  the  Eutaws, 
that  he  would  abandon  it;  and  if  disappointed  in  both 
these  expectations,  he  considered  himself  as  amply 
compensated  for  this  movement,  by  his  own  view 
of  a  part  of  the  country  to  which  he  meant  to  extend 
his  operations. 

The  cavalry,  preceding  the  light  infantry  in  various 
directions,  occupied  an  extensive  front,  for  the  purpose 
of  precluding  communication  of  our  approach;  which 
it  was  intended  to  conceal  from  the  inhabitants  as  well 
as  from  the  enemy,  lest  some  of  the  disaffected  might 
inform  him  of  our  advance.  We  marched  in  paths 
through  woods  and  swamps  seldom  trod  by  man;  and 
wherever  we  could  not  avoid  settlements,  all  the  inha- 
bitants capable  of  conveying  information  were  secured. 
Notwithstanding  these  precautions,  and  our  active  ca- 


380  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

valry,  the  enemy  received  advice  of  our  approach 
sometime  in  the  night  preceding  the  morning  intend- 
ed for  the  meditated  blow. 

The  commanding  officer  drew  in  his  outposts,  and 
concentrated  his  force  in  Dorchester,  keeping  in  his 
front  a  few  patroles  to  ascertain  and  report  our  pro- 
gress. Lieutenant  colonel  Hampton,  at  the  head  of  the 
state  horse,  (a  small  corps  which  had,  with  honor  to 
itself  and  effect  to  its  country,  shared  in  the  dangers 
of  the  latter  part  of  the  campaign  with  our  army,)  fell 
in  with  one  of  these,  and  instantly  charging  it,  killed 
some,  wounded  others,  and  drove  the  rest  upon  the 
main  body.  The  British  cavalry  sallied  out  in  support, 
but  declining  combat,  soon  retired. 

Disappointed  in  the  hoped-for  surprise,  the  general 
continued  to  examine  the  enemy's  position,  desirous 
of  executing  by  force,  what  he  hoped  to  have  accom- 
plished by  stratagem.  In  the  course  of  the  day  the 
presence  of  Greene  became  known  to  the  foe,  who  in- 
stantly prepared  for  departure.  He  destroyed  his  stores 
of  every  sort,  fell  back  in  the  night  down  the  isthmus, 
and  before  daylight  (the  return  of  which  he  seemed  to 
have  dreaded)  established  himself  at  the  Quarterhouse, 
seven  miles  from  Charleston.  General  Greene  pursued 
his  examination  of  the  country  at  his  leisure,  which 
being  finished  he  returned  to  the  army,  now  encamped 
©n  the  Four  Holes. 

After  a  few  days  he  passed  the  Edisto,  and  sat  down 
at  the  Round  O,  which  is  situated  between  that  river 
and  the  Ashepoo,  about  forty  or  fifty  miles'  from 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   381 

Charleston,  and  seventy  miles  from  the  confluence  df 
the  Wateree  and  Congaree;  fifteen  miles  beyond  which, 
on  the  east  of  the  Wateree,  in  a  straight  line,  are  the 
High  Hills  of  Santee. 

Taking  immediate  measures  for  the  security  of  the 
country  in  his  front,  he  detached  brigadier  Marion  with 
his  militia  to  the  east  of  Ashley  river,  with  orders  to 
guard  the  district  between  that  river  and  the  Cooper; 
and  he  sent  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  down  the  western 
side  of  the  Ashley,  directing  him  to  approach  by  gra- 
dual advances  St.  John's  Island,  and  to  place  himself 
in  a  strong  position  within  striking  distance  of  it. 

Previous  to  this  the  enemy  had  evacuated  Wilming- 
ton by  which  North  Carolina  became  completely  res- 
tored to  the  Union.  Shut  up  as  were  the  British  troops 
in  Charleston  and  its  isthmus,  major  Craig  with  the 
garrison  from  Wilmington,  some  additional  infantry 
and  the  cavalry,  had  been  detached  to  St.  John's 
Island,  where  most  of  the  cattle  collected  for  the  Bri- 
tish army  were  at  pasture,  where  long  forage  was  pro- 
curable for  the  cavalry,  where  co-operation  with  the 
garrison  of  Charleston  might  be  convenient,  and 
whence  infantry  might  be  readily  transported  along 
the  interior  navigation  to  Savannah. 

To  repress  incursions  from  this  post,  as  well  as  to 
inhibit  the  conveyance  of  supplies  from  the  main  to  the 
island  became  the  principal  object  of  Lee's  attention. 

The  advance  of  Marion  and  Lee  being,  by  the  ge- 
neral's order,  simultaneous,  they  gave  security  to  their 
contiguous  flanks  from  any  attempt  by  land,  although 


382  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

they  were  divided  by  the  Ashley;  it  being  not  incon- 
venient to  apprize  each  other  of  any  movement  of  the 
enemy  on  either  side  of  the  river.  This  co-operation 
was  enjoined  by  the  general,  and  punctually  executed 
by  the   two   commandants.    The   first   day's   march 
brought  these  detachments  to  the  country  settled  by 
the  original  emigrants  into  Carolina.  The  scene  was 
both  new  and  delightful.  Vestiges,  though  clouded  by 
war,  every  where  appeared  of  the  wealth  and  taste  of 
the  inhabitants.   Spacious  edifices,  rich  and  elegant 
gardens,  with  luxuriant  and  extensive  rice  plantations, 
were  to  be  seen  on  every  side.  This  change  in  the  as- 
pect of  inanimate  nature,  could  not  fail  to  excite  emo- 
tions of  pleasure,  the  more  vivid  because  so  rare. 
During  our  continued  marches  and  countermarches, 
never  before  had  we  been  solaced  with  the  prospect  of 
so  much  comfort.  Here  we  were  not  confined  to  one 
solitary  mansion,  where  a  few,  and  a  few  only,  might 
enjoy  the  charms  of  taste  and  the  luxury  of  opulence. 
The  rich  repast  was  wide  spread;  and  when  to  the  ex- 
terior was  added  the  fashion,  politeness  and  hospitality 
of  the  interior,  we  became  enraptured  with  our  changed 
condition,  and  the  resolve  of  never  yielding  up  this 
charming  region  but  with  life  became  universal.  To 
crown  our  bliss,  the  sex  shone  in  its  brightest  lustre. 
With  the  ripest  and  most  symmetrical  beauty,  our  fair 
compatriots  blended  sentimental  dignity  and  delicate 
refinement,  the  sympathetic  shade  of  melancholy,  and 
the  dawning  smile  of  hope;  the  arrival  of  their  new 
guests  opening  to  them  the  prospect  of  happier  times. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    383 

The  rapture  of  these  scenes  was  as  yet  confined  to 
the  light  troops.  The  general  continuing  in  his  position 
at  the  Round  O,  subsisting  upon  the  resources  of  the 
country  in  that  neighborhood  and  in  his  rear,  reserved 
all  the  surplus  food  and  forage  within  the  advanced 
posts  for  the  future  support  of  his  army.  Decamping 
from  the  Round  O,  he  moved  on  the  route  taken  by 
his  van;  when  the  main  body  participated  in  the  gra- 
tifications which  this  pleasing  district,  and  its  more 
pleasing  possessors,  so  liberally  bestowed.  After  some 
marches  and  countermarches,  brigadier  Marion  took 
post  between  Dorchester  and  Biggin's  bridge,  and 
lieutenant  colonel  Lee  at  M'Queen's  plantation,  south 
of  Ashley  river.  The  main  body  encamped  at  Pom- 
pon, in  the  rear  of  Lee.  Here  general  Greene  began  to 
enter  more  particularly  into  his  long  meditated  design 
of  relieving  the  state  of  Georgia,  by  forcing  the  enemy 
to  evacuate  Savannah. 

We  have  before  mentioned  that  major,  now  lieute- 
nant colonel  Craig,  had  taken  possession  of  St.  John's 
Island,  with  a  respectable  detachment.  Lee  was  order- 
ed, when  detached  towards  that  island,  to  take  mea- 
sures for  ascertaining  with  exactness  the  strength  and 
position  of  Craig,  with  his  customary  precautions 
against  surprise,  and  his  manner  of  discharging  the 
duties  which  his  situation  imposed.  This  service  was 
undertaken  with  all  that  zeal  and  diligence  which  the 
mandates  of  a  chief  so  enlightened  and  so  respected, 
and  an  enterprise  more  brilliant,  than  all  the  past  ex- 
ploits in  the  course  of  the  southern  war,  could  claim. 


384  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Some  weeks  were  assiduously  devoted  to  the  acquir- 
ing of  a  clear  comprehension  of  this  arduous  and  grand 
design,  with  an  exact  knowledge  of  the  complicated  ^ 
means  necessary  to  its  execution:  in  the  mean  timejl 
demonstrations  were  made  and  reports  circulated,  ex- 
hibiting a  settled  plan  in  the  general  of  passing  Ashley 
river,  to  be  ready  to  fall  upon  Charleston  as  soon  as 
the  reinforcement  under  St.  Clair,  now  approaching, 
should  arrive.  About  this  time  Greene's  attention  to 
the  leading  object  of  his  measures  was  diverted  by  ac- 
counts from  the  West,  announcing  an  irruption  of  the 
Cherokee  tribe  of  Indians  on  the  district  of  Ninety- 
Six;  which  having  been  as  sudden  as  it  was  unexpect. 
ed,  had  been  attended  with  serious  injury.  Several 
families  were  massacred,  and  many  houses  were  burnt. 
Brigadier  Pickens,  (whose  name  we  have  often  before 
mentioned,  and  always  in  connection  with  the  most 
important  services,)  had,  after  his  long  and  harassing 
campaign,  returned  home  with  his  militia.  The  mo- 
ment he  heard  of  the  late  incursion,  he  again  sum- 
moned around  him  his  well  tried  warriors.  To  this 
officer  the  general  resorted,  when  he  was  informed  of 
this  new  enemy.  Among  the  first  acts  of  general 
Greene's  command  in  the  South,  was  the  conclusion 
of  a  treaty  with  this  tribe  of  Indians,  by  which  they  had 
engaged  to  preserve  a  state  of  neutrality  so  long  as  the 
war  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain 
should  continue.  What  is  extraordinary,  the  Chero- 
kees  rigidly  complied  with  their  engagement  during 
the  past  campaign,  when  the  success  of  lord  Cornwal- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    385 

lis,  with  the  many  difficulties  Greene  had  to  encounter, 
would  have  given  weight  to  their  interference.  Now, 
when  the  British  army  in  Virginia  had  been  forced  to 
surrender,  and  that  acting  in  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia  had  been  compelled  to  take  shelter  in  the 
district  of  country  protected  by  forts  and  ships,  they 
were  so  rash  as  to  listen  to  exhortations  often  before 
applied  in  vain.  Pickens  followed  the  incursors  into 
their  own  country;  and  having  seen  much  and  various 
service,  judiciously  determined  to  mount  his  detach- 
ment, adding  the  sword*  to  the  rifle  and  tomahawk. 
He  well  knew  the  force  of  cavalry,  having  felt  it  at  the 
Cowpens,  though  it  was  then  feebly  exemplified  by 
the  enemy.  Forming  his  mind  upon  experience,  the 
straight  road  to  truth,  he  wisely  resolved  to  add  to  the 
arms,  usual  in  Indian  wars,  the  unusual  one  above 
mentioned. 

*  John  Rogei's  Clarke,  colonel  in  the  service  of  Virginia  against 
our  neighbors  the  Indians  in  the  revolutionary  war,  was  among 
our  best  soldiers,  and  better  acquainted  with  the  Indian  warfare 
than  any  officer  in  our  army.  This  gentleman,  after  one  of  his 
campaigns,  met  in  Richmond  several  of  our  cavalry  officers,  and 
devoted  all  his  leisure  in  ascertaining  from  them  the  various  uses 
to  which  horse  were  applied,  as  well  as  the  manner  of  such  ap- 
plication. The  information  he  acquired  determined  him  to  intro- 
duce this  species  of  force  against  the  Indians,  as  that  of  all  others 
the  most  effectual. 

By  himself,  by  Pickens,  and  lately  by  Wayne,  was  the  accu- 
racy of  Clarke's  opinion  justified;  and  no  doubt  remains,  but  in 
all  armies  prepared  to  act  against  the  Indians,  a  very  considera- 
ble proportion  of  it  ought  to  be  light  cavalry. 

Vol.  II.  3C 


386  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

In  a  few  days  he  reached  the  country  of  the  Indians, 
who,  as  is  the  practice  among  the  uncivilized  in  all  ages, 
ran  to  arms  to  oppose  the  invader,  anxious  to  join  issue 
in  battle  without  delay.  Pickens,  with  his  accustomed 
diligence,  took  care  to  inform  himself  accurately  of 
the  designs  and  strength  of  the  enemy;  and  as  soon  as 
he  had  ascertained  these  important  facts,  advanced 
upon  him.  The  rifle  was  only  used  while  reconnoitring 
the  hostile  position.  As  soon  as  this  was  finished,  he 
remounted  his  soldiers  and  ordered  a  charge:  with 
fury  his  brave  warriors  rushed  forward,  and  the  asto- 
nished Indians  fled  in  dismay.  Not  only  the  novelty  of 
the  mode,  which  always  has  its  influence,  but  the  sense 
of  his  incapacity  to  resist  horse,  operated  upon  the 
flying  forester. 

Pickens  followed  up  his  success,  and  killed  forty 
Cherokees,  took  a  great  number  of  prisoners  of  both 
sexes,  and  burnt  thirteen  towns.  He  lost  not  a  soldier, 
and  had  only  two  wounded.  The  sachems  of  the  na- 
tion assembled  in  council;  and  thoroughly  satisfied  of 
their  inability  to  contend  against  an  enemy  who  added 
the  speed  of  the  horse*  to  the  skill  and  strength  of 
man,  they  determined  to  implore  forgiveness  for  the 

*  The  Indians,  when  fighting  with  infantry,  are  very  daring. 
This  temper  of  mind  results  from  his  consciousness  of  his  su- 
perior fleetness;  which,  together  with  his  better  knowledge  of 
woods,  assures  to  him  extrication  out  of  difficulties,  though  des- 
perate. This  temper  of  mirtd  is  extinguished,  when  he  finds  that 
he  is  to  save  himself  from  the  pursuit  of  horse,  and  with  its  ex- 
tinction falls  that  habitual  boldness. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    387 

past,  and  never  again  to  provoke  the  wrath  of  their 
triumphant  foe.  This  resolution  being  adopted,  com- 
missioners were  accordingly  appointed,  with  directions 
to  wait  upon  general  Pickens,  and  to  adjust  with  him 
the  terms  of  peace.  These  were  readily  listened  to, 
and  a  treaty  concluded,  which  not  only  terminated 
the  existing  war,  but  provided  against  its  renewal,  by 
a  stipulation  on  the  part  of  the  Cherokees,  in  which 
they  engaged  not  only  to  remain  deaf  to  the  exhorta- 
tions of  the  British  emissaries,  but  that  they  would 
apprehend  all  such  evil  doers,  and  deliver  them  to  the 
governor  of  South  Carolina,  to  be  dealt  with  as  he 
might  direct. 

The  object  of  the  expedition  being  thus  happily 
accomplished,  general  Pickens  evacuated  the  Indian 
territory  and  returned  to  South  Carolina,  before  the 
expiration  of  the  third  week  from  his  departure,  with- 
out losing  a  single  soldier. 

Pickens'  despatches,  communicating  the  termination 
of  the  Cherokee  hostilities,  were  received  by  Greene 
just  as  he  was  about  to  enter  upon  the  execution  of 
his  meditated  enterprise.  All  the  requisite  intelligence 
had  been  acquired,  the  chances  calculated,  the  deci- 
sion taken,  the  plan  concerted,  and  the  period  proper 
for  execution*  fast  approaching. 

*  Only  one  or  two  nights  in  a  month  suited,  as  it  was  neces- 
sary that  the  tide  of  ebb  should  be  nearly  expended  about  mid- 
night, the  proper  hour  of  passing  to  the  island;  and  it  was  de- 
sirable to  possess  the  advantage  of  moonlight  after  we  entered 
the  island.  Besides,  then  the  galley  crews  were  most  likely 


388  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Lieutenant  colonel  Craig,  with  his  infantry,  was 
posted  at  a  plantation  not  far  from  the  eastern  extre- 
mity of  the  island.  The  cavalry  were  cantoned  six  or 
seven  miles  from  the  infantry,  at  different  farm-houses 
in  its  western  quarter.  At  low  water  the  inlet  dividing 
St.  Johns  from  the  main  was  passable  by  infantry  at 
two  points  only,  both  familiar  to  the  enemy.  That  at 
the  western  extremity  of  the  island  was  full  of  large 
rocks,  and  could  be  used  only  in  the  day,  it  being 
necessary  carefully  to  pick  your  route,  which  in 
the  deep  water  was  from  rock  to  rock.  About  mid- 
way between  the  eastern  and  western  extremities  was 
the  other,  where  no  natural  difficulty  occurred,  and  in 
the  last  of  the  ebb  tide  the  depth  of  water  was  not  more 
than  waist  high.  This  was  guarded  by  two  galleys,  the 
one  above  and  the  other  below  it,  and  both  within  four 
hundred  yards  of  each  other,  as  near  to  the  ford  as  the 
channel  would  permit. 

Lee's  examination  of  their  position,  together  with 
his  observations  of  the  manner  in  which  the  captains 
of  the  galleys  performed  night  duty,  suggested  the 
practicability  of  passing  between  the  galleys  with 
infantry  unperceived.  As  soon  as  general  Greene 
became  satisfied  that  this  difficulty  could  be  sur- 
mounted, he  determined  to  hazard  the  attempt  if 
a  proper  place  for  the  cavalry  to  swim  across,  could 
be  ascertained.  But  the  deep  marshes  which  lined  the 
shores  seemed  at  first  likely  to  prevent  the  approach 

to  be  at  rest;  and  we  had  sufficient  time  before  daylight  to  exe- 
cute our  various  arrangements. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    389 

of  the  horse.  At  itngth  major  Eggleston,  command- 
ing the  legionary  cavalry,  discovered  a  practicable 
route  some  distance  below  the  galleys.  He  ordered 
one  or  two  of  his  dragoons  to  swim  to  the  opposite 
shore  in  the  night  to  select  firm  ground,  and  to  erect 
small  stakes  as  beacons  to  guide  the  cavalry  where 
first  to  strike  the  shore  of  the  island.  This  was  duly 
executed,  and  reported  accordingly  to  the  general. 

The  day  was  now  fixed  for  making  the  attempt, 
and. preparatory  orders  were  issued.  Lieutenant  colonel 
Lee,  with  the  light  corps  acting  under  him,  being  in- 
sufficient in  strength,  a  detachment  of  infantry  from 
the  army  was  made  ready  and  placed  under  lieutenant 
colonel  Laurens,  who  was  ordered  to  join  Lee  at  a 
given  point,  when  on  his  march  to  the  theatre  of 
action. 

The  plantation  on  which  lieutenant  colonel  Craig 
had  encamped  was  intersected  by  many  ditches,  as 
was  usual  in  the  cultivated  grounds  of  South  Carolina 
near  the  sea.  One  of  these  stretched  along  the  front  of 
the  British  camp,  about  one  hundred  yards  distant 
from  it,  which  afforded  sufficient  space  for  the  infantry 
of  Craig  to  display  in  line,  and  which  the  assailants 
did  not  doubt  the  lieutenant  colonel  would  seize  as 
soon  as  he  should  discover  their  advance. 

To  compensate  in  some  measure  for  the  advantage 
which  the  ground  afforded  to  the  enemy,  the  infantry 
of  the  attacking  corps  was  rendered  superior  by  one 
fifth  to  that  to  be  assaulted. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Craig,  although  to  all  appearance 


390  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

protected  from  annoyance  by  his  insulated  situation,, 
did  not  neglect  the  necessary  precautions  for  his  safety; 
nor  did  he  permit  any  relaxation  in  discipline,  or  any 
diminution  of  vigilance.  The  chance  of  surprising 
him  was  not  encouraging;  but  being  very  desirable 
and  possible,  it  was  determined  that  it  should  be 
attempted.  On  the  road  leading  from  the  ford,  pro- 
tected by  the  galleys,  Craig  had  placed  a  picquet, 
about  a  mile  from  the  galleys;  and  two  miles  further 
on  was  another,  at  the  point  where  the  road  last  men- 
tioned ran  longitudinally  through  the  island.  On  the 
left  of  this  point  of  intersection,  Craig  was  encamped, 
three  or  four  miles  from  it  towards  Charleston;  and 
on  the  right  of  the  same  point  were  the  cavalry,  a  few 
miles  distant  towards  the  western  extremity  of  the 
island.  Our  plan  was  as  follows.  As  soon  as  the 
infantry  should  effect  its  passage  into  the  island,  an 
officer  of  cavalry,  who  had  been  directed  for  the 
purpose  to  accompany  lieutenant  colonel  Lee,  was 
then  to  return  to  major  Eggleston  with  orders  for  the 
cavalry  to  pass  to  the  island,  and  wait  for  the  infantry 
near  to  the  road  of  march,  which  took  a  direction  in- 
clining to  the  landing  place  of  the  horse. 

The  first  picquet  was  to  be  approached  with  the 
utmost  secrecy,  and  then  to  be  forced  with  vigor  by 
the  van,  which  was  ordered  to  spread  itself  for  the 
purpose  of  preventing  the  escape  of  any  individual; 
and  the  cavalry  had  directions  to  take  measures  to  in- 
tercept every  person  who  might  endeavor  to  pass  in 
their  direction.  We  flattered  ourselves  with  possess- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    391 

ing  the  picquet  without  much  resistance;  and  knowing 
that  Craig  was  too  remote  to  hear  the  firing,  should 
any  occur,  we  hoped  by  the  interception  of  every 
fugitive  to  stop  all  communication  with  him. 

The  second  picquet  was  to  be  avoided,  which  with 
proper  care  was  feasible;  when  the  infantry,  supported 
by  one  troop  of  horse,  was  to  advance  upon  Craig, 
while  Eggleston  with  the  residue  of  the  dragoons 
would  fall  upon  the  enemy's  cavalry.  Succeeding  in 
both  points,  the  main  body  could  not  escape  the  me- 
ditated surprise,  which  would  give  to  us  an  easy 
victory:  failing  in  arresting  every  individual  of  the 
post,  or  in  evading  the  last  picquet,  Craig  would 
be  advised  of  our  approach,  and  would  be  prepared 
to  receive  us.  In  the  latter  event,  we  intended,  by 
turning  one  of  his  flanks,  in  case  he  threw  himself 
into  the  ditch, — of  which,  from  our  knowledge  of  his 
character,  no  doubt  could  exist, — to  force  him  to 
change  his  front;  and  we  were  so  thoroughly  satisfied 
with  the  character  of  our  troops  as  to  assume  it  as  a 
fact,  that  no  corps,  even  of  equal  force,  could  execute 
the  manoeuvre  in  our  face  without  being  destroyed. 
In  this  opinion  Greene  concurred,  and  on  its  accuracy 
was  rested  the  issue  of  the  enterprise.  However  such 
a  conclusion  may  wear  the  appearance  of  arrogance,  it 
does  not  merit  the  reproach.  The  veteran  troops  in 
the  Southern  army  had  attained  the  highest  grade  of 
discipline.  Every  soldier  as  well  as  officer  was  con- 
scious of  his  acquirements,  and  had  experienced  their 
good  effect.  They  also  knew  that  victory  was  not  only 


392  Memoirs  of  the  War  m  the 

the  sure  reward  of  every  man's  doing  his  duty  in  battle, 
but  they  were  convinced  that  each  man's  personal 
safety  was  promoted  by  the  same  course. 

Thus  persuaded,  they  were  habitually  actuated  by 
the  determination  of  confiding  entirely  in  their  leader, 
their  discipline,  and  their  valor.  Such  troops  will 
generally  succeed,  and,  upon  this  occasion,  could 
sc?rcely  fail:  for  the  major  part  of  Craig's  infantry 
had  long  been  in  garrison  at  Wilmington,  where  they 
never  had  seen  an  enemy  in  arms;  and  his  cavalry 
were  known  to  be  very  inferior  to  the  American 
horse,  and  were  separated  from  the  infantry.  To 
reckon,  therefore,  upon  victory,  did  not  manifest  pre- 
sumption; but  only  showed  that  Lee  and  Laurens 
duly  appreciated  the  advantages  they  possessed,  and 
were  willing  to  stake  their  reputation  and  lives  on  the 
correctness  of  the  estimate  they  had  formed  of  them. 

The  day  appointed  for  the  execution  of  the  enter- 
prise now  arrived  (21st  December).  Lieutenant  colonel 
Laurens  moved  with  his  detachment  from  the  main 
body  towards  the  Ashley  river,  for  the  ostensible  pur- 
pose of  passing  the  river  and  taking  post  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Dorchester.  Halting  near  Bacon's  bridge 
until  late  in  the  evening,  he  countermarched,  as  if 
returning  to  camp,  when  after  nightfall  he  turned  .'to 
his  left,  taking  the  route  prescribed  for  his  junction 
with  Lee.  The  latter  officer  moved  in  the  same  even- 
ing from  his  position  at  M'Queen's  plantation,  and 
about  nine  P.  M.  reached  the  rendezvous,  where  he 
was  met  with  precision  by  Laurens.  The  troops  halt- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    393 

ed,  and  took  the  last  meal  for  twenty-four  hours;  after 
which  they  were  called  to  arms  and  were  made  ac- 
quainted with  the  destined  object.  They  were  told, 
that  the  enterprise  before  them  was  replete  with  diffi- 
culties; that  the  most  powerful  of  the  many  which 
attended  it  would  be  met  at  the  threshold;  that  this 
was  to  be  encountered  by  the  infantry,  and  could  be 
overcome  only  by  profound  silence  and  strict  obe- 
dience to  orders.  Success  in  the  first  step  would  in 
all  probability  lead  to  complete  victory;  inasmuch  as 
the  enemy  was  inferior  in  number,  divided  in  position, 
and  safe,  in  his  own  presumption,  from  his  insular 
situation.  That  the  plan  of  operations  had  been  ap- 
proved by  the  general;  and  the  troops  now  united  had 
been  honored  by  his  selection  of  them  for  the  purpose 
of  concluding  the  campaign  in  a  manner  worthy  of 
the  zeal,  courage  and  patience  displayed  by  the  army 
in  all  preceding  scenes.  They  were  assured  that  every 
difficulty  had  been  well  weighed;  the  best  intelligence 
with  the  best  guides  had  been  procured;  and  that  they 
could  not  be  disappointed  in  reaping  a  rich  harvest  of 
glory,  unless  the  commandants  had  deceived  them- 
selves in  their  estimate  of  their  intrepidity  and  dis- 
cipline. A  burst  of  applause  ensued  from  the  ranks, 
evincing  the  delight  which  all  felt  in  knowing  that 
victory  was  certain,  unless  lost  by  their  misbehaviour. 

The  disposition  for  battle  was  now  made.  The 
infantry  was  arrayed  in  two  columns:  that  of  Lee 
forming  the  right,  that  of  Laurens  the  left.  The  cavalry 
were  also  divided  into  two  squadrons:  one  third  under 

Vol.  II.  3D 


394  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Armstrong  was  attached  to  the  infantry;  while  the 
other  two  thirds,  under  Eggleston,  were  appropriated 
to  strike  at  the  enemy's  dragoons,  with  orders  as  soon 
as  they  were  secured  to  hasten  to  the  support  of  the 
infantry. 

Every  necessary  arrangement  having  been  made, 
we  resumed  our  march;  and,  after  a  few  miles  move, 
the  cavalry  filed  to  our  left  to  gain  its  station  on  the 
river.  Within  an  hour  from  this  separation,  we  got 
near  to  the  marsh,  which  on  this  side  lines  the  river 
in  the  place  where  the  infantry  was  to  pass.  Here  the 
infantry  again  halted  and  deposited  their  knapsacks, 
and  the  officers,  dismounting,  left  their  horses.  Dr. 
Skinner,  of  the  legion  infantry,  who  considered  fight- 
ing as  no  part  of  his  business,  was  indulged  in  his 
request  of  being  intrusted  with  the  charge  of  the 
baggage.  The  detachment  again  moved;  every  man 
in  his  place;  and  every  officer  enjoined  to  take  special 
care  to  march  in  sight  of  his  preceding  section,  lest  in 
the  darkness  of  the  night  a  separation  might  happen. 

After  some  time  our  guides  informed  us  that  we 
were  near  the  marsh.  This  intelligence  was  communi- 
cated from  section  to  section,  and  the  columns  were 
halted,  as  had  been  previously  concerted,  that  every 
officer  and  soldier  might  pull  off  boots  and  shoes 
to  prevent  the  splashing  which  they  produced  when 
wading  through  water,  to  be  resumed  when  we  reach- 
ed the  opposite  shore.  The  order  was  instantly  and 
cheerfully  executed  by  the  troops.  Entering  on  the 
marsh,  we  moved  very  slowly,  every  man  exerting 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    395 

himself  to  prevent  noise.  The  van,  under  Rudolph, 
reached  the  shore,  and  proceeded,  in  conformity  to 
orders,  without  halting  into  the  river.  Lee  coming  up 
with  the  head  of  the  column,  accompanied  by  lieute- 
nant colonel  Laurens,  halted  and  directed  a  staff  officer 
to  return  and  see  that  the  sections  were  all  up.  We 
now  enjoyed  the  delightful  pleasure  of  hearing  the 
sentinels  from  each  galley  crying  "  all  is  safe"  when 
Rudolph  with  the  van  was  passing  between  them. 

No  circumstance  could  have  been  more  exhilarating, 
as  we  derived  from  it  a  conviction  that  the  difficulty 
most  to  be  apprehended  would  be  surmounted,  and 
every  man  became  persuaded  from  the  evidence  of 
his  own  senses,  that  an  enemy  assailable  only  in  this 
way  would  be  found  off  his  guard,  and,  therefore, 
that  victory  was  certain.  At  this  moment  the  staff 
officer  returned  with  information  that  the  rear  column 
was  missing.  Laurens  immediately  went  back  to  the 
high  land  with  some  of  the  guides  and  staff  officers  to 
endeavor  to  find  it.  The  affliction  produced  by  this 
communication  is  indescribable.  At  the  very  moment 
when  every  heart  glowed  with  anticipations  of  splendid 
glory,  an  incident  was  announced  which  menaced  ir- 
remediable disappointment. 

Hour  after  hour  passed;  messengers  occasionally 
coming  in  from  Laurens,  and  no  intelligence  gained 
respecting  the  lost  column.  At  length  the  tide,  which 
was  beginning  flood  when  the  van  passed,  had  now 
risen  so  high  as  to  compel  the  recal  of  Rudolph,  even 
had  not  the  morning  been  too  far  spent  to  admit  per- 


396  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

severance  in  the  enterprise.  A  sergeant  was  sent  across 
the  inlet  with  orders  for  the  return  of  the  van,  and  the 
column  retired. 

Rudolph  found  the  water,  which  had  not  reached 
the  waist  as  he  passed,  up  to  the  breast  as  he  return- 
ed. Nevertheless  every  man  got  back  safe;  the  tallest 
assisting  the  lowest,  and  the  galley  sentinels  continu- 
ing to  cry  "  all  safe."  We  soon  regained  our  baggage, 
where  large  fires  were  kindled,  and  our  wet  troops 
dried  themselves.  Here  we  met  general  Greene,  who 
had,  in  conformity  with  his  plan,  put  his  army  in  mo- 
tion to  draw  near  to  the  theatre  of  action,  lest  a  body 
of  troops  might  be  pushed  across  the  Ashley  to  inter- 
cept the  attacking  corps  in  its  retreat  from  the  island; 
and  with  a  view  of  compelling  the  galleys  to  abandon 
their  station  that  Lee  might  retire  on  the  next  low 
tide  where  he  had  passed,  it  being  the  most  conveni- 
ent route.  He  received  with  regret  the  unexpected 
intelligence,  rendered  the  more  so,  as  he  was  well 
assured  that  the  enemy  would  learn  the  intended 
enterprise,  and,  therefore,  that  it  could  never  be  again 
attempted. 

As  soon  as  the  day  broke,  the  last  column, — which 
had  been  completely  bewildered,  and  was,  if  possible, 
more  unhappy  at  the  occurrence  than  were  its  chagrin- 
ed comrades, — regained  the  road  taken  in  the  night, 
and  was  now  discerned  by  those  who  had  been  search- 
ing for  it.  Laurens  returned  with  it  to  our  baggage 
ground,  most  unhappy  of  the  unhappy. 

On  inquiry  it  was  ascertained  that  the  leading  sec- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States,    397 

tion,  instead  of  turning  into  the  marsh,  continued 
along  the  road,  which  led  to  a  large  plantation.  Here^ 
the  error  was  discovered,  to  which  was  added  another. 
Instead  of  retracing  his  steps,  the  senior  officer,  from 
his  anxiety  to  rejoin  without  delay,  took  through  the 
fields  under  the  guidance  of  a  negroe,  it  being  the 
nearest  route,  and  again  got  lost,  so  very  dark  was 
the  night;  nor  was  he  even  able  to  reach  the  road  until 
directed  by  day  light. 

Thus  was  marred  the  execution  of  an  enterprise 
surpassed  by  none  throughout  our  war  in  grandeur  of 
design,  and  equalled  by  few  in  the  beneficial  effects 
sure  to  result  from  its  successful  termination.  Censure 
attached  no  where;  for  every  precaution  had  been 
adopted  to  guard  against  the  very  incident  which  did 
occur,  and,  dark  as  was  the  night,  the  troops  had 
nearly  completed  the  most  difficult  part  of  the  march 
without  the  least  interruption.  The  officer  of  the  lead- 
ing section  of  Laurens'  column  was  among  the  most 
attentive  and  trust-worthy  in  the  army,  and  yet  the 
blunder  was  committed  by  him  which  led  to  our  dis- 
appointment. The  whole  corps  lamented  the  deranging 
occurrence,  especially  Laurens,  who  reproached  him- 
self with  having  left  his  column,  presuming  the  acci- 
dent would  not  have  happened  had  he  continued  in 
his  station.  This  presumption  may  be  correct,  as  that 
officer  was  singularly  attentive  to  his  duty;  and  yet  his 
absence  being  necessary,  it  could  not  be  better  supplied 
than  it  was.  The  passage  of  the  river  was  the  essential 
point,  that  on  which  the  expedition  hung,  and  Laurens 


398  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

being  second  in  command,  it  was  deemed  prudent, — 
as  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  would  necessarily  pass  with 
the  front  column  for  the  purpose  of  directing  those 
measures  intended  to  be  applied  against  the  enemy's 
picquet  the  moment  our  rear  reached  the  island, — that 
lieutenant  colonel  Laurens  should  repair  to  the  river, 
and  there  continue  to  superintend  the  troops  as  they 
entered  into  the  water,  lest  the  sections  might  crowd 
on  each  other  and  thus  increase  the  noise,  a  conse- 
quence to  be  dreaded  and  guarded  against;  or,  by 
entering  too  high  up  or  too  low  down  the  stream, 
miss  the  ford  and  get  into  deep  water. 

Laurens  left  his  column  by  order  to  give  his  per- 
sonal  superintendence  to  this  delicate  operation;  and, 
therefore,  was  entirely  exempted  from  any  participa- 
tion in  the  production  of  the  unlucky  accident  which 
occurred. 

General  Greene  assuaged  the  sorrow  which  the 
baffled  troops  so  keenly  felt  by  thanking  them  as  they 
arrived  for  the  exemplary  manner  in  which  they  had 
conducted  themselves,  and  for  the  ardent  zeal  they 
had  displayed  in  the  abortive  attempt  to  execute  the 
enterprise  committed  to  their  skill  and  courage.  He 
lamented  the  disappointment  which  had  occurred,  but 
declared  it  to  be  owing  to  one  of  those  incidents 
which  so  often  take  place  in  war,  and  against  which 
upon  this  occasion  every  precaution  had  been  adopt- 
ed which  prudence  could  suggest.  He  attributed  the 
accident  to  the  darkness  of  the  night,  and,  by  com- 
mending all,  forbad  the  censure  of  any.   Not  satisfied 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    399 

with  this  oral  declaration  to  the  troops,  the  general,  on 
his  return  to  camp,  addressed  a  letter  to  each  of  the 
lieutenant  colonels,  repeating  his  thanks  to  them  and 
to  their  respective  corps. 

How  often  do  we  find  military  operations  frustrated 
by  the  unaccountable  interposition  of  accident,  when 
every  exertion  in  the  power  of  the  commander  has 
been  made  to  prevent  the  very  interruption  which 
happens?  No  doubt  these  incidents  generally  spring 
from  negligence  or  misconduct;  and,  therefore,  might 
be  considerably  diminished,  if  not  entirely  arrested, 
by  unceasing  attention.  When  the  van  turned  into  the 
marsh,  Lee,  as  has  been  mentioned,  halted  to  give 
a  minute  or  two  for  taking  off  boots  and  shoes,  and 
did  not  move  until  lieutenant  colonel  Laurens,  who 
had  been  sent  for,  came  up  and  informed  him  that 
every  section  was  in  place.  From  this  time  Laurens 
continued  with  Lee,  and  in  the  very  short  space  which 
occurred  before  the  leading  section  of  Laurens  reach- 
ed the  point  of  turning  into  the  marsh  did  the  mistake 
occur  which  put  an  end  to  our  much  desired  enter- 
prise. Lieutenant  colonel  Lee  believing  the  interven- 
tion of  mistake  impracticable,  as  the  sections  were  all 
up,  and  as  the  march  through  the  marsh  would  be 
slower  than  it  had  been  before,  did  not  direct  one  of 
his  staff,  as  he  had  done  heretofore,  to  halt  at  the 
point  where  the  change  in  the  course  of  the  route 
occurred.  This  omission  cannot  be  excused.  This 
precaution,  although  now  neglected  in  consequence  of 
the  official  communication  then  received  that  the  sec- 


400  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

tions  were  all  in  place,  and  the  short  distance  to 
the  marsh, — the  experience  of  this  night  proves  that 
however  satisfactorily  the  march  may  have  been  con- 
ducted, and  however  precisely  in  place  the  troops 
may  be,  yet  that  no  preventive  of  mistake  should  be 
neglected.  Had  the  practice  been  followed  at  the  last 
change  of  course,  which  had  uniformly  taken  place 
during  the  previous  march,  the  fatal  error  would  not 
have  been  committed,  and  this  concluding  triumph  to 
our  arms  in  the  South  would  not  have  been  lost. 

The  state  of  Georgia  might  probably  have  been 
recovered  by  the  effects  of  this  severe  blow;  as  the 
northern  reinforcement  soon  after  joined  us,  and  ge- 
neral Leslie  would  have  found  it  necessary  for  the 
security  of  Charleston  to  have  replaced  the  troops  lost 
on  St.  John's  Island,  which  could  not  be  so  conveni- 
ently done  as  by  drawing  to  him  the  garrison  of 
Savannah.  Hitherto  Greene  had  struggled  to  recover 
the  country  far  from  the  ocean:  now  he  contemplated 
its  delivery  even  where  British  troops  were  protected 
by  British  ships,  but  was  baffled  by  this  night's  acci- 
dent. The  spirit  of  disaffection,*  which  had  always 

*  Lord  Rawdon  to  Earl  Cornwallis,  May  24th,  1781. — "Lieu- 
tenant colonel  Balfour  was  so  good  as  to  meet  me  at  Nelson's. 
He  took  this  measure  that  he  might  represent  his  circumstances 
to  me.  He  stated  that  the  revolt  was  universal,  and  that,  from 
the  little  reason  to  apprehend  this  serious  invasion,  the  old  works 
in  Charleston  had  been  in  part  levelled,  to  make  way  for  new 
ones  which  were  not  yet  constructed;  that  its  garrison  was 
inadequate  to  oppose  any  force  of  consequence;  and  that  the  de- 
fection of  the  town's  people  showed  itself  in  a  thousand  instan- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    401 

existed  among  the  inhabitants  of  Charleston,  had 
been  vigilantly  watched  by  the  British  commander, 
as  he  was  no  stranger  to  its  prevalence.  When  lord 
Rawdon  evacuated  Cambden,  this  spirit  became  so 
formidable  in  consequence  of  the  success  of  the  Ame- 
rican arms  in  the  South,  as  to  induce  his  lordship  to 
continue  with  his  army  at  Monk's  Corner  until  the 
arrival  of  three  regiments  from  Ireland  enabled  him 
to  leave  behind  an  adequate  force  for  the  security  of 
that  city  during  his  resumption  of  offensive  operations. 
Subsequent  events  promoted  this  disposition,  and  the 
capture  of  the  army  under  earl  Cornwallis  gave  to 
it  full  energy.  Nor  can  it  be  doubted  that,  had  Greene 
succeeded  in  destroying  the  corps  under  lieutenant 
colonel  Craig,  this  spirit  would  have  been  turned 
to  his  co-operation,  in  case  general  Leslie  had  been 
so  imprudent  as  to  rely  upon  his  reduced  garrison  for 
the  defence  of  Charleston  after  the  junction  of  our  re- 
inforcement from  the  North.  We  may,  therefore,  safely 
pronounce  that  general  Greene  did  not  err  in  his  cal- 
culations of  restoring  Georgia  to  the  Union  in  the 
event  of  his  success  against  Craig,  and  \ve  sincerely 
lament  that  his  bold  design  should  have  been  frustra- 
ted by  the  derangement  which  occurred. 

The  army  resumed  its  position  at  Pompon,  and  the 
light  corps  returned  to  its  camp  at  M'Queen's.  In  a 

ces.  I  agreed  with  him  in  the  conclusion  to  be  drawn  from 
thence,  that  any  misfortune  happening  to  my  corps  might  entail 
the  loss  of  the  province." 

Vol.  II.  3E 


40:2  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

very  few  days  our  intended  enterprise  became  sus- 
pected by  the  enemy,  and  excited  merited  attention. 
The  British  general  made  a  change  in  his  position; 
and  reducing  his  force  in  St.  John's  island,  drew  it 
near  to  its  eastern  point. 

Greene,  baffled  as  he  unfortunately  had  been  in  his 
well-digested  plan,  began  to  take  other  measures  for 
the  purpose  of  effecting  his  favorite  object.  He  medi- 
tated a  movement  into  the  isthmus,  on  which  stands 
Charleston,  connected  with  an  attempt  to  float  a  de- 
tachment down  the  Ashley  in  the  night  to  enter  the 
town  in  that  quarter  at  the  hour  fixed  for  his  assault 
upon  the  enemy's  lines. 

As  the  scheme  presented  great  and  numerous  diffi- 
culties, it  was  never  to  be  executed  unless  a  more  at- 
tentive examination  should  justify  the  attempt.  A  Bri- 
tish galley,  for  some  purpose  not  known  to  us,  was 
stationed  high  up  the  Ashley,  and  obstructed  the  de- 
sired inspection  of  that  part  of  the  rivers.  Greene  ex- 
pressed his  wish  that  it  should  be  destroyed,  if  to  be 
done  without  too  great  a  sacrifice.  Captain  Rudolph, 
of  the  legion  infantry,  was  advised  by  his  commandant 
of  the  general's  wish,  and  requested  to  discover  the 
state  of  discipline  on  board  the  galley,  and  to  devise 
a  plan  for  its  seizure.  This  officer  gave  his  immediate 
attention  to  the  project.  While  Rudolph  was  pursuing 
his  object,  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  became  informed 
of  the  enemy's  design  to  beat  up  his  quarters  at 
M'Queen's.  As  soon  as  this  information  was  received 
he  drew  in  all  his  parties,  including  Rudolph,  and  fell 
back  in  the  night  three  miles  nearer  to  the  army,  where 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    403 

he  established  himself  hi  a  position  so  well  secured  by 
rice  ditches  as  to  place  the  corps  safe  from  nocturnal 
attack.  The  hostile  detachment  moved  from  Charles- 
ton about  noon,  drawing  near  to  Ashley  river  before 
sunset.  Early  in  the  night  it  resumed  its  march,  but 
did  not  reach  M'Queen's,  having  lost  its  way  in  con- 
sequence of  the  darkness  of  the  night.  Lee  returned 
early  in  the  morning  to  his  relinquished  position,  pre- 
suming that  he  should  find  his  disappointed  adversary 
retreating  hastily;  and  hoping  that  he  should  be  able 
to  derive  some  advantage  from  the  perplexity  to  which 
he  would  be  soon  driven  by  fresh  and  vigorous  troops. 
Finding  that  the  enemy  had  not  advanced  as  far  as 
M'Queen's,  he  proceeded  towards  Bacon's  bridge, 
where  halting,  he  learnt  the  misdirection  of  the  ene- 
my, and  returned  to  his  former  position. 

The  country  between  Dorchester  and  the  quarter- 
house  had  been  occasionally  visited  by  our  light  par- 
ties, which  inpinged  upon  the  domain  claimed  by  the 
once  army  of  South  Carolina,  now  garrison  of  Charles- 
ton. A  well  concerted  enterprise  was  projected  by  the 
commandant  to  repress  the  liberties  taken  by  our  light 
parties.  Infantry  was  detached  in  the  night  to  occupy 
specified  points,  and  cavalry  followed  in  the  morning, 
some  for  co-operation  with  the  infantry,  and  others  for 
the  seduction  of  our  light  parties.  It  so  happened  that 
captain  Armstrong,  of  the  legion  cavalry,  had  been 
sent  to  Dorchester  by  general  Greene  in  the  preceding 
night  for  the  purpose  of  conferring  with  a  spy  from 
Charleston.  On  the  approach  of  morning  Armstrong 
advanced  to  Dorchester;  and  meeting  the  party  of  dra- 


404  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

goons  sent  forward  for  the  purpose  of  decoying  any 
of  the  American  detachments  traversing  this  quarter, 
he  rushed  upon  it.  In  obedience  to  order  the  enemy, 
though  superior  in  number,  fled.  Armstrong  was  one 
of  the  most  gallant  of  the  brave,  too  apt  to  bury  in  the 
confidence  he  reposed  in  his  sword,  those  considera- 
tions which  prudence  suggested.  Eager  to  close  with 
his  flying  foe,  he  pursued  vehemently,  and  fell  into  the 
snare  spread  for  his  destruction.  The  moment  he  dis- 
covered his  condition  he  turned  upon  his  enemy  and 
drove  at  him  in  full  gallop.  The  bold  effort  succeeded 
so  far  as  to  open  a  partial  avenue  of  retreat,  which  was 
seized  by  his  subaltern  and  some  of  the  dragoons. 
They  got  off;  but  Armstrong  and  four  privates  were 
taken;  the  first  and  only  horse  officer  of  the  legion  cap- 
tured during  the  war. 

Previous  to  this  the  northern  reinforcement  under 
major  general  St.  Clair  having  arrived,  brigadier 
Wayne  was  ordered  to  Georgia;  having  under  him 
lieutenant  colonel  White,  who  had  lately  joined  the 
army  with  the  remains  of  Moylan's  regiment  of  dra- 
goons. Wayne  proceeded  without  delay,  and  in  a  few 
days  crossed  the  Savannah  river  at  the  Two  Sisters' 
ferry.  A  small  corps  of  Georgia  militia,  encamped  in 
the  vicinity  of  Augusta,  was  directed  to  foil  down  to 
Ebenezer,  the  station  selected  by  the  brigadier  for  the 
rendezvous  of  his  troops.  Here  he  was  shortly  rein- 
forced by  lieutenant  colonel  Posey,*  of  the  Virginia 

*  The  same  officer  who  so  gallantly  seconded  brigadier  Wayne 
in  his  assault  of  Stony  Point.  Posejr 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    405 

line,  at  the  head  of  three  hundred  continentals  from 
the  army  of  general  Greene. 

The  immediate  object  of  this  motion  into  Georgia 
was  to  protect  the  country  from  the  incursions  of  the 
Garrison  of  Savannah.  With  that  desien  was  connected 
the  expectation  that  the  insufficiency  of  the  British 
force  in  that  town  to  man  its  extensive  works  would 
probably  present  an  opportunity  of  carrying  the  post 
by  a  nocturnal  assault.  Wayne  was  accordingly  or- 
dered, while  engaged  in  executing  the  first,  to  give 
due  attention  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  last  object. 

As  soon  as  the  advance  of  the  American  detach- 
ment was  known  in  Savannah,  brigadier  general  Clarke, 
who  commanded  the  royal  forces  in  Georgia,  directed 
his  officers  charged  with  his  outposts  to  lay  waste  the 
country  with  fire,  and  to  retire  with  their  troops  and 
all  the  provisions  they  could  collect  into  Savannah. 
This  order  was  rigidly  executed,  and  the  district 
circumjacent  to  the  capital  was  devastated.  In  conse- 
quence whereof  Wayne  found  it  necessary  to  draw  his 
subsistence  from  South  Carolina,  which  added  to  the 
difficulties  daily  experienced  in  providing  for  the  main 
army. 

The  country  heretofore  the  seat  of  war  in  South 
Carolina,  was  literally  without  food;  and  its  distressed 
inhabitants,  with  the  utmost  difficulty,  procured  enough 

Posey  commanded  the  column  with  which  the  brigadier  march- 
ed in  person,  and  was  by  his  side  when  Wayne  received  the  ball 
which  fortunately  only  grazed  the  crown  of  his  headj  but  which 
laid  him  prostrate  for  a  few  moments. 


406  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

for  bare  support.  That  into  which  Greene  had  advan- 
ced was  relatively  well  supplied;  but  still  it  might  be 
justly  considered  a  gleaned  country.  It  had  furnished 
the  British  post  at  Orangeburg  during  the  summer: 
it  had  also  supplied  the  army  of  lord  Rawdon  when 
advancing  upon  Ninety-Six,  and  when  retiring  thence, 
and  had  always  contributed  considerably  to  the  main- 
tenance of  the  troops  and  inhabitants  in  Charleston. 

The  crop,  originally  small  in  consequence  of  the 
habitual  neglect  of  agriculture  in  a  state  of  war,  had 
been  much  exhausted  by  the  previous  drains  from  it 
before  the  arrival  of  Greene,  and  was,  after  that  event, 
the  sole  resource  to  our  army  in  South  Carolina,  and 
the  principal  one  to  that  sent  to  Georgia  under  Wayne. 
This  real  scarcity  was  increased  by  the  waste  which 
always  accompanies  compulsory  collection  of  subsist- 
ence; a  practice  yet  necessarily  continued,  as  the  civil 
authority  had  been  but  lately  restored. 

The  battle  of  the  Eutaws  evidently  broke  the  force 
and  humbled  the  spirit  of  the  royal  army;  never  after 
that  day  did  the  enemy  exhibit  any  symptom  of  that 
bold  and  hardy  cast  which  had  hitherto  distinguished 
them. 

Governor  Rutledge  being  persuaded  that  the  happy 
period  had  at  length  arrived  for  the  restoration  of  the 
government,  issued  a  proclamation  in  a  few  weeks 
after  the  battle  of  the  Eutaws,  convening  the  general 
assembly  at  Jacksonborough,  a  small  village  upon  the 
Edisto  river,  about  thirty-five  miles  from  Charleston. 
Invested  with  dictatorial  powers,  the  governor  not  only 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    407 

issued  writs  for  the  intervening  elections,  but  also  pre- 
scribed the  qualifications  of  the  electors. 

The  right  of  suffrage  was  restricted  to  those  inha- 
bitants who  had  uniformly  resisted  the  invader,  and  to 
such  who,  having  accepted  British  protections,  had 
afterwards  united  with  their  countrymen  in  opposition 
to  the  royal  authority  before  the  27th  day  of  Septem- 
ber; in  the  early  part  of  which  mouth  the  battle  of  the 
Eutaws  hud  been  fought.  The  exchange  of  prisoners 
which  had  previously  taken  place,  liberated  many  res- 
pectable and  influential  characters  two  long  lost  to  the 
state. 

These  citizens  had  now  returned,  and  were  ready 
to  assibt  with  their  counsel  in  repairing  the  desolation 
of  war.  This  period  presents  an  interesting  epoch  in 
the  annals  of  the  South.  From  all  quarters  were  flock- 
ing home  our  unfortunate  maltreated  prisoners.  The 
old  and  the  young,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  hastened  to 
their  native  soil;  burying  their  particular  griefs  in  the 
joy  universally  felt  in  consequence  of  the  liberation  of 
their  country. 

They  found  their  houses  burnt,  their  plantations 
laid  waste,  their  herds  and  flocks  destroyed,  and  the 
rich  rewards  of  a  life  of  industry  and  economy  dissi- 
pated. Without  money,  without  credit,  with  debilita- 
ted constitutions,  with  scars  and  aches,  this  brave  and 
patriotic  groupe  gloried  in  the  adversity  they  had  expe- 
rienced, because  the  price  of  their  personal  liberty  and 
of  national  independence.  They  had  lost  their  wealth, 
they  had  lost  their  health,  and  had  lost  the  props  of 


408  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

their  declining  years  in  the  field  of  battle;  but  they 
had  established  the  independence  of  their  country;  they 
had  secured  to  themselves  and  posterity  ihe  birth-right 
of  Americans.  They  forgot  past  agony  in  the  delight 
of  present  enjoyment,  and  in  the  prospect  of  happiness 
to  ages  yet  unborn.  From  this  class  of  citizens  the 
senators  lately  chosen  were  chiefly  selected.  On  the 
appointed  day  the  assembly  convened  at  Jacksonbo- 
rough,  when  governor  Rutledge,  in  a  long  interesting 
and  eloquent  speech,  opened  the  session.  The  incipi- 
ent proceedings  of  the  assembly  present  authentic  in- 
formation of  the  havoc  of  the  war  and  of  the  distress 
of  the  country,  and  convey  the  pleasing  testimony  of 
the  mild  and  amiable  disposition  which  swayed  even 
in  this  day  of  wrath  and  irritation  the  legislature  of 
Sou^h  Carolina. 

The  length  of  the  governor's  speech  forbids  its  en- 
tire insertion:  extracts  of  it  are  given,  with  the  answer 
of  tbe  senate,  which  will  sufficiently  exemplify  the  jus- 
tice of  the  preceding  observations,  as  do  the  conse- 
quences of  the  amiable  policy  pursued  by  the  legisla- 
ture demonstrate  that  beneficence  in  the  sovereign  is 
the  readiest  cure  which  can  be  applied  to  heal  the 
wounds  of  discord  and  of  war. 

"  Honorable  gentlemen  of  the  Senate,  Mr.  Speaker, 
and  gentlemen  of  the  house  of  Representatives, 

"  Since  the  las.t  meeting  of  a  general  assembly,  the 
good  peopi<  of  this  state  have  not  only  felt  the  com- 
mon <  :«.-h  of  war,  but  from  the  wanton  and  savage 
manner  in  which  it  has  been  executed,  they  have  ex- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    409 

perienced  such  severities  as  are  unpractised,  and  will 
scarcely  be  credited  by  civilized  nations. 

"  The  enemy,  unable  to  make  any  impression  on 
the  northern  states,  the  number  of  whose  inhabitants, 
and  the  strength  of  whose  country,  had  baffled  their 
repeated  efforts,  turned  their  views  to  the  southern, 
which,  a  difference  of  circumstances  afforded  some 
expectation  of  conquering,  or  at  least  of  distressing. 
After  a  long  resistance,  the  reduction  of  Charleston 
was  effected  by  the  vast  superiority  of  force  with  which 
it  had  been  besieged.  The  loss  of  that  garrison,  as  it 
consisted  of  the  continental  troops  of  Virginia  and  the 
Carolinas,  and  of  a  number  of  militia,  facilitated  the 
enemy's  march  into  the  country,  and  the  establishment 
of  strong  posts  in  the  upper  and  interior  parts  of  it; 
and  the  unfavorable  issue  of  the  action  near  Cambden 
induced  them  vainly  to  imagine,  that  no  other  army 
could  be  collected  which  they  might  not  easily  defeat. 
The  militia  commanded  by  the  brigadiers  Marion  and 
Sumpter,  whose  enterprising  spirit  and  unremitted 
perseverance  under  many  difficulties  are  deserving  of 
great  applause,  harassed  and  often  defeated  large  par- 
ties; but  the  numbers  of  those  militia  were  too  few  to 
contend  effectually  with  the  collected  strength  of  the 
enemy.  Regardless  therefore  of  the  sacred  ties  of  ho- 
nor, destitute  of  the  feelings  of  humanity,  and  deter- 
mined to  extinguish,  if  possible,  every  spark  of  free- 
dom in  this  country,  they,  with  the  insolent  pride  of 
conquerors,  gave  unbounded  scope  to  the  exercise  of 
their  tyrannical  disposition,  infringed  their  public  en- 

Vol.  II.  3  F 


•1<10  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

gagements,  and  violated  the  most  solemn  capitulations. 
IVlany  of  our  worthiest  citizens  were,  without  cause, 
long  and  closely  confined,  some  on  bo:trd  of  prison- 
ships,  and  others  in  the  town  and  castle  of  St.  Augus- 
tine. 

"  But  I  can  now  congratulate  you,  and  I  do  so  most 
cordially,  on  the  pleasing  change  of  affairs,  which,  un- 
der the  blessing  of  God,  the  wisdom,  prudence,  ad- 
dress and  bravery  of  the  great  and  gallant  general 
Greene,  and  the  intrepidity  of  the  officers  and  men  un- 
der his  command,  has  been  happily  effected.  A  gene- 
ral who  is  justly  entitled,  from  his  many  signal  services, 
to  honorable  and  singular  marks  of  your  approbation 
and  gratitude.  His  successes  have  been  more  rapid 
and  complete  than  the  most  sanguine  could  have  ex- 
pected. The  enemy  compelled  to  surrender  or  evacu- 
ate every  post  which  they  held  in  the  country,  fre- 
quently defeated  and  driven  from  place  to  place,  are 
obliged  to  seek  refuge  under  the  walls  of  Charleston, 
or  in  the  islands  in  its  vicinity.  We  have  now  the  full 
and  absolute  possession  of  every  other  part  of  the  state; 
and  the  legislative,  executive  and  judicial  powers,  are 
in  i he  free  exercise  of  their  respective  authorities.  The 
interest  and  honor,  the  safety  and  happiness  of  our 
country,  depend  so  much  on  the  result  of  your  delibe- 
rations, that  I  flatter  myself  you  will  proceed  in  the 
weighty  business  before  you,  with  firmness  and  tem- 
per, with  vigor,  unanimity,  and  despatch. 

John  Rutlkdge." 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States*    411 

"  The  address  of  the  honorable  the  Senate  in  answer 
to  the  governor's  speech. 

May  il  please  your  Excellency, 

"  We  beg  leave  to  return  your  excellency  the  thanks 
of  this  house  for  your  speech. 

"  Any  words  which  we  might  adopt  would  convey 
but  a  very  faint  idea  of  the  satisfaction  we  feel  on  the 
perfect  reestablishment  of  the  legislative,  executive 
and  judicial  powers  in  this  state. 

"  It  is  with  particular  pleasure  that  we  take  the  ear- 
liest opportunity  to  present  to  your  excellency  our  un- 
feigned thanks  for  your  unwearied  zeal  and  attention 
to  the  real  interest  of  this  country,  and  to  testify  our 
entire  approbation  of  the  good  conduct  of  the  execu- 
tive since  the  last  meeting  of  the  general  assembly. 

"  We  see  and  revere  the  goodness  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence in  frustrating  and  disappointing  the  attempts  of 
our  enemies  to  conquer  the  southern  states;  and  we 
trust  that  by  the  blessing  of  the  same  Providence  on 
the  valor  and  intrepidity  of  the  free  citizens  of  Ame- 
rica, their  attacks  and  enterprises  will  continue  to  be 
repelled  and  defeated. 

"  We  reflect  with  pleasure  on  the  steady  resolution 
with  which  Charleston  was  defended  by  a  small  body 
of  brave  men  against  such  a  vast  superiority  of  force; 
and  we  gratefully  acknowledge  the  meritorious  con- 
duct and  important  services  of  the  officers  and  privates 
of  the  militia,  who  stood  forth  in  the  hour  of  danger; 
whose  coolness,  perseverance  and  ardor,  under  a  com- 
plication of  difficulties,  most  justly  entitle  them  to  the 
applause  of  their  country. 


412  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

"  We  flatter  ourselves  that  the  blood  which  the  ene- 
my spilled,  the  wanton  devastation  which  has  marked 
their  progress,  and  the  tyrannical  system  that  they 
have  invariably  pursued,  and  which  your  excellency 
hath  so  justly  and  pathetically  described  to  us,  will 
rouse  the  good  people  of  this  state,  and  will  animate 
them  into  a  spirit  to  protect  their  country,  to  save  their 
rights  and  liberties,  and  to  maintain  at  all  hazards  their 
independency. 

"  It  is  with  inexpressible  pleasure  that  we  receive 
your  excellency's  congratulations  upon  the  great  and 
glorious  measures  of  the  campaign,  on  the  happy  change 
of  affairs  and  the  pleasing  prospect  before  us;  and  we 
assure  your  excellency  that  we  concur  most  sincerely 
with  you  in  acknowledging  and  applauding  the  meri- 
torious zeal,  and  the  very  important  services  which 
have  been  rendered  to  this  state  by  the  great  and  gal- 
lant general  Greene,  and  the  brave  and  intrepid  officers 
and  men  under  his  command,  and  to  whom  we  shall 
be  happy  to  give  the  most  grateful  and  singular  testi- 
monies of  our  approbation  and  applause. 

"  We  are  truly  sensible  of  the  immense  advantage 
which  the  United  States  derive  from  the  magnanimous 
prince,  their  ally.  We  have  the  most  perfect  confi- 
dence on  his  royal  word,  and  on  the  sincerity  of  his 
friendship;  and  we  think  ourselves  much  indebted  to 
that  illustrious  monarch  for  the  great  and  effectual  as- 
sistance which  he  hath  been  pleased  to  give  the  con- 
federated states,  and  by  whose  means  they  have  been 
enabled  to  humble  the  pride  of  Britain,  and  to  establish 
iheir  independency  upon  the  most  permanent  basis. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    413 

"  The  importance  of  the  several  matters  which  your 
excellency  hath  recommended  to  our  consideration  is 
so  evident  that  we  shall  proceed  to  deliberate  upon 
them  with  all  possible  despatch;  and  we  flatter  our- 
selves that  our  business  will  be  carried  on  with  tem- 
per, firmness,  and  unanimity. 

J.  L.  Gervais,  President." 

During  this  session  a  law  was  passed,  prescribing  a 
mode  of  providing  for  the  subsistence  of  the  army  by 
the  civil  authority.  No  regulation  was  more  requisite; 
as  the  military  process  was  grating  to  our  fellow  citi- 
zens, wasteful  of  the  resources  of  the  country,  incon- 
venient to  the  army,  and  repugnant  to  the  feelings  of 
soldiers,  who  believed  themselves  to  be  in  heart  as  in 
name  the  defenders  of  liberty.  Resort  to  compulsion 
had  been  forced  upon  the  general  by  necessity,  though 
in  every  way  objectionable;  and  which  ought  never  to 
be  tolerated  for  a  moment  when  avoidable.  In  pursu- 
ance of  power  invested  by  this  law,  the  governor  ap- 
pointed William  Hiot  agent  for  the  state.  This  gentle- 
man executed  the  duties  of  his  station  with  intelligence, 
zeal,  and  diligence;  and  very  much  contributed  to  our 
support,  without  offence  to  the  husbandmen,  and  with 
very  little  aid  from  the  army. 

But  such  was  the  real  scarcity  of  the  primary  arti- 
cles of  subsistence,  that  with  all  the  exertions  (and 
they  were  great)  of  the  agent,  want  continued  to 
haunt  occasionally  the  camp,  which  compelled  general 
Greene  to  contribute,  upon  some  occasions,  his  assist- 
ance to  the  authority  of  the  laws* 


414  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  'the 

Brigadier  Marion,  although  a  colonel  in  the  line  of 
South  Carolina,  had  been  chosen  a  member  of  the 
legislature;  and  before  he  sat  out  for  Jacksonborough, 
had  selected  a  station  for  his  militia  near  the  Santee 
river,  remote  from  Charleston.  His  absence  from  his 
command,  notwithstanding  the  distance  of  the  selected 
position,  inspired  the  enemy  with  the  hope  that  a  corps 
which  had  heretofore  been  invulnerable  might  now  be 
struck.  A  detachment  of  cavalry  was  accordingly  pre- 
pared for  the  meditated  enterprise,  and  placed  under 
the  orders  of  lieutenant  colonel  Thompson.  This 
officer  having  passed  the  Cooper  river  near  Charleston, 
late  in  the  evening,  proceeded  towards  the  Santee. 
Observing  the  greatest  secrecy,  and  pushing  his  march 
with  diligence,  he  fell  upon  the  militia  camp  before 
the  dawn  of  day,  and  completely  routed  the  corps. 
Some  were  killed,  some  wounded,  and  the  rest  dis- 
persed, Math  little  or  no  loss  on  the  part  of  the  British. 
Major  Benson,  an  active  officer,  was  among  the  killed. 

Thompson  hastened  back  to  Charleston  with  his 
detachment;  and  Marion,  returning  from  Jacksonbo- 
rough, reassembled  his  militia. 

Captain  Rudolph,  who  had  been  charged  with  the 
destruction  of  the  British  galley  in  the  Ashley  river, 
although  often  interrupted  by  other  duties,  had  never 
intermitted  his  attention  to  that  object.  Early  in  March, 
sometime  after  the  dispersion  of  the  militia  near  the 
Santee,  the  captain  presented  his  plan  to  lieutenant 
colonel  Lee,  who  communicated  it  to  the  general.  It 
was  founded  on  the  facility  he  had  discovered  with 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    415 

which  boats  going  to  market  with  provisions  passed 
the  galley. 

Rudolph  proposed  to  place  in  one  of  these  boats  an 
adequate  force,  disguising  himself  in  a  countryman's 
dress,  and  disguising  three  or  four  of  his  soldiers  in 
the  garb  and  color  of  negroes.  The  boat  was  to  be 
stored  with  the  usual  articles  for  Charleston  market, 
under  the  cover  of  which  he  concealed  his  armed  men, 
while  himself  and  his  four  negroes  should  conduct  the 
boat.  His  plan  was  approved;  and  lieutenant  Smith,  of 
the  Virginia  line,  who  had  been  very  instrumental  in 
acquiring  the  intelligence  on  which  the  project  was 
grounded,  was  united  to  the  captain  in  its  execution. 
Every  thing  being  prepared  with  profound  secrecy, 
Rudolph  and  Smith  embarked  with  their  parties  at  a 
concealed  landing  place,  high  up  the  Ashley,  on  the 
night  of  the  18th  of  March.  Between  three  and  four  in 
the  morning,  Rudolph  got  near  to  the  galley,  when  the 
centinel  hailed  the  boat.  He  was  answered  in  the  ne- 
gro dialect  that  it  was  a  market  boat  going  to  Charles- 
ton, and  asked  permission  to  proceed.  In  reply  the 
boat  was  ordered  to  hale  along  side,  as  the  captain  of 
the  galley  wished  to  purchase  some  provisions.  Ru- 
dolph obeyed;  and  as  soon  as  he  got  along  side  threw 
some  of  his  poultry  on  deck,  his  disguised  negroes  at 
the  same  time  taking  fast  hold  of  the  galley. 

On  a  signal  from  Rudolph,  Smith  and  his  soldiers 
rose  and  boarded  the  galley.  The  centinel  and  a  few 
others  were  killed:  some  escaped  in  the  darkness  of 
the  night  by  throwing  themselves  into  the  river;  and 
the  captain  with  twenty-eight  sailors  were  captured. 


416  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

The  galley  mounted  twelve  guns  besides  swivels, 
and  was  manned  with  forty-three  seamen.  Budolph 
did  not  lose  a  man;  and  after  taking  out  such  stores  as 
he  found  on  board  the  galley  he  burnt  her,  and  returned 
to  his  place  of  embarkation. 

Thus  the  tone  of  enterprise  continued  high  and 
vigorous  on  our  side,  while  low  and  languishing  with 
the  enemy.  The  novelty  of  this  successful  attempt 
attracted  notice  in  Charleston:  and  such  was  the  state 
of  despondency  which  prevailed  in  its  garrison  as  to 
give  currency  to  opinions  calculated  still  further  to  de- 
press the  humbled  spirit  of  the  British  soldier.  When 
it  was  found  that  even  their  floating  castles,  the  pride 
and  bulwark  of  Englishmen,  were  successfully  assailed 
by  landsmen,  the  water  quarter  of  the  town,  which  was 
accessible  by  water,  necessarily  became  an  object  of 
jealousy.  Every  alarm  in  the  night  excited  dire  appre- 
hensions: sometimes  Greene  was  moving  to  force  their 
lines,  at  other  times  he  was  floating  down  the  Ashley; 
and  in  one  way  or  another  he  was  ever  present  to  their 
disturbed  imaginations. 

But  such  fears  were  illusory.  After  a  critical  exa- 
mination of  the  enemy's  situation,  no  point  was  found 
vulnerable;  and  the  general  was  obliged  to  relinquish 
any  attempt  on  Charleston.  He  nevertheless  indulged 
a  hope  that  Wayne  might  discover  an  opening  to  strike 
the  port  of  Savannah,  where  the  garrison  amounted 
scarcely  to  one  thousand  men,  too  small  for  the  exten- 
sive works  before  that  town;  and  he  held  ready  there- 
fore a  chosen  corps  to  reinforce  Wayne  whenever 
requisite. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    417 

At  this  juncture  treason  had  found  its  way  into  our 
camp.  The  inactivity  which  had  succeeded  the  prece- 
ding series  of  bold  and  vigorous  service  was  a  fit  sea- 
son for  recollection  of  grievances  long  endured,  and 
which,  being  severely  felt,  began  to  rankle  in  every 
breast.  Hunger  sometimes  pinched,  at  other  times 
cold  oppressed,  and  always  want  of  pay  reminded  us 
as  well  of  the  injustice  of  our  government  as  of  our 
pressing  demands  upon  it.  The  Pennsylvania  line  had 
joined  the  army;  the  soldiers  of  which  being  chiefly 
foreigners,  were  not  so  disposed  to  forget  and  to  for- 
give as  were  our  native  troops.  Even  heretofore  this 
line  had  pushed  their  insubordination  so  far  as  to  aban- 
don in  a  body  the  commander  in  chief,  to  drive  off 
their  officers,  to  commit  the  eagles  to  base  hands,  and 
to  march  under  the  orders  of  leaders  elected  by  them- 
selves. 

They  justified  this  daring  mutiny  by  referring  to 
their  contract  of  enlistment,  which  they  alleged  had 
been  violated;  and  it  must  be  admitted  that  this  alle- 
gation was  too  well  founded.  Soldiers  who  had  enlisted 
for  three  years  had  been  detained  after  the  period  of 
their  service  expired,  under  the  pretext  that  they  had 
enlisted  for  the  war.  As  soon  as  this  injustice  was  re- 
dressed, and  some  pecuniary  accommodation  rendered, 
all  not  entitled  to  their  discharge  returned  to  their 
duty. 

The  violation  of  contract  is  always  morally  wrong; 
and  however  it  may  sometimes  yield  present  good,  it 
is  generally  overbalanced  by  the  subsequent  injury. 

Vol.  II.  3  G 


418  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

The  government  which  is  under  the  necessity  of  re- 
sorting to  armed  men,  enlisted  for  a  term  of  service,  to 
protect  its  rights,  ought  to  take  care  that  the  contract 
of  enlistment  is  fair  as  well  as  legal,  and  that  it  be  justly 
executed;  or  they  afford  a  pretext  for  incalculable  ills, 
which,  though  ofien  avoided  from  the  force  of  circum- 
stances, is  sometimes  productive  of  irreparable  misfor- 
tunes to  the  nation.  Every  effort  was  made  at  the  time 
by  the  enemy  to  turn  this  menacing  occurrence  into 
the  deepest  injury;  but  the  fidelity  of  the  revolting 
troops  remained  invulnerable;  the  best  possible  apo- 
logy for  their  previous  conduct. 

The  present  mutiny  was  marked  by  a  very  different 
character.  It  was  grounded  on  the  breach  of  allegiance, 
and  reared  in  all  the  foulness  of  perfidy.  Greene  him- 
self was  to  be  seized  and  delivered  to  the  enemy.  How 
could  treason  ascend  higher? 

A  serjeant  in  the  Pennsylvania  line  took  the  lead  in 
this  daring  conspiracy;  a  soldier  heretofore  much  es- 
teemed, and  possessing  talents  adapted  to  the  enter- 
prise. No  doubt  exists  but  that  he  and  his  associates 
held  continual  correspond,  nee  with  the  enemy,  and 
that  an  arranged  plan  had  been  concerted  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  mutineers  by  the  co-operating  move- 
ments of  the  British  force. 

The  vigilance  and  penetration  of  Greene  could  nei- 
ther be  eluded  nor  overreached.  He  well  knew  that 
the  soldiers  were  discontented;  nor  was  he  insensible 
to  the  cause  of  their  complaints.  But  he  confided  in 
the  rectitude  of  congress,  and  in  the  well  tried  fidelity 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    419 

of  that  portion  of  the  army  which  had  so  often  fought 
by  his  side.  He  nevertheless  dreaded  the  effects  of  the 
wiles  of  the  artful  and  wicked  when  applied  to  the 
inflammable  mass  around  him. 

To  the  enemy's  camp  and  to  that  section  of  his 
troops  most  likely  to  forget  self-respect  and  patriotism, 
he  directed  his  close  and  vigorous  attention.  From 
both  he  drew  information  which  convinced  him  that 
his  apprehensions  were  not  groundless.  Redoubling 
his  exertions,  as  well  to  discover  the  plan  and  progress 
of  the  conspirators  as  to  thwart  their  designs,  he  learnt 
that  the  serjeant,  supposed  to  be  the  leader,  had,  by 
indulging  unwarily  the  free  declaration  of  his  senti- 
ments, subjected  himself  to  martial  law,  and  alarmed 
all  the  faithful  soldiers,  who,  though  prone  to  unite  in 
the  declarations  of  the  wrongs  they  had  suffered,  and 
of  their  determination  to  obtain  redress,  had  never  en- 
tertained a  thought  of  executing  their  views  by  the 
prostitution  of  military  subordination,  much  less  by 
the  perpetration  of  the  blackest  treason,  of  the  basest 
ingratitude.  Greene,  acting  with  his  usual  decision, 
ordered  the  arrest  and  trial  of  the  serjeant.  This  order 
was  immediately  executed;  and  the  prisoner  being  by 
the  court  martial  condemned  to  die,  the  sentence  of  the 
court  was  forthwith  carried  into  effect.   (22d  April. ) 

Some  others,  believed  to  be  associates  with  the  ser- 
jeant, (among  whom  were  Peters  and  Owens)  domes- 
tics in  the  general's  family,  were  also  tried;  but  the 
testimony  was  not  deemed  conclusive  by  the  court. 
Twelve  others  deserted  in  the  course  of  the  night  and 
got  safe  to  Charleston. 


420  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

Thus  the  decisive  conduct  of  the  general  crushed 
instantly  this  daring  conspiracy;  and  the  result  proved, 
as  often  happens,  that  although  the  temper  of  com- 
plaint and  of  discontent  pervaded  the  army,  but  few  of 
the  soldiers  were  in  reality  guilty  of  the  criminal  inten- 
tions which  were  believed  at  first  to  have  spread  far 
through  the  ranks. 

While  the  arrests  and  trials  were  progressing  in  our 
camp,  and  while  general  Greene  continued  to  watch 
the  movements  of  the  enemy,  they  disclosed  a  spirit  of 
adventure,  which  had  been  for  some  months  dormant. 
Large  bodies  of  horse  and  foot  were  put  in  motion; 
some  of  which,  in  the  course  of  the  night,  approached 
us  with  unusual  confidence.  This  boldness  tended  to 
confirm  the  suspicions  before  entertained  that  the  ene- 
my was  not  only  apprized  of  the  intentions  of  our 
mutineers,  but  had  prepared  to  second  their  designs. 
General  Greene,  feeling  his  critical  situation,  contented 
himself  for  the  present  with  detaching  select  parties  to 
hover  around  the  enemy  for  the  purpose  of  observing 
his  motions,  with  the  determination  to  strike  his  adver- 
sary as  soon  as  he  should  find  his  army  restored  to  its 
pristine  discipline  and  character.  On  the  morning  after 
2«h.  the  execution  of  the  traitor,  captain  O'Neal  of 
the  legion  cavalry  fell  in  with  a  body  of  the  enemy's 
horse  under  major  Frazer. 

O'Neal  being  very  inferior  in  strength  to  his  antago- 
nist, retired,  and  was  vigorously  pursued  by  Frazer, 
During  his  flight  he  perceived  a  second  body  of  the 
enemy  in  possession  of  his  line  of  retreat.  He  was  now 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   4121 

compelled  to  change  his  course;  and  with  the  utmost 
difficulty  escaped  himself,  after  losing  ten  of  his  dra- 
goons. Frazer  had  advanced  as  high  as  Stan's  bridge, 
the  place  assigned  for  the  reception  of  that  portion  of 
the  conspirators  who  had  undertaken  to  betray  the 
person  of  their  general.  On  his  return  he  was  met  by 
O'Neal,  not  far  from  Dorchester.  This  was  the  sole 
adventure  resulting  to  the  enemy  in  a  conjuncture  from 
which  he  expected  to  derive  signal  benefits. 


422  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

1  HE  unexpected  events  which  had  occurred  in  the 
preceding  campaign,  when  known  in  England,  at- 
tracted universal  attention,  and  produced  a  determina- 
tion to  put  a  period  to  the  war  in  America.  In  accor- 
dance with  this  resolution  instructions  were  forwarded 
to  the  commander  in  chief  of  the  royal  forces,  who 
conformed  his  subsequent  measures  to  the  change  in 
the  system  of  administration:  further  waste  of  life 
being  in  his  opinion  unnecessary.  His  lieutenant  in 
South  Carolina,  major  general  Leslie,  proposed  to 
general  Greene  a  cessation  of  hostilities.  This  propo- 
sition was  rejected  by  the  American  general,  as  his 
powers  did  not  reach  the  subject.  He  consequently 
communicated  the  same  to  congress,  who  alone  could 
give  the  requisite  authority  to  act  on  the  subject. 

General  Leslie  finding  his  pacific  overture  unavail- 
ing, was  compelled  to  pursue  measures  to  obtain  sup- 
plies for  his  troops,  although  sure  to  produce  the  sacri- 
fice of  individuals  in  both  armies;  a  sacrifice  which  he 
anxiously  desired  to  avoid.  For  this  purpose  incur- 
sions into  our  territory  were  occasionally  attempted; 
sometimes  with  success,  but  generally  the  British  de- 
tachments were  forced  to  regain  their  lines  without  the 
accomplishment  of  their  views. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.     423 

This  little  warfare,  always  irksome,  unless  the  pre- 
lude to  grand  operations,  was  peculiarly  so  to  troops 
enured  to  the  most  interesting  scenes  of  war,  and  con- 
scious that  those  scenes  could  never  be  renewed.  Men 
of  the  sword  only  can  appreciate  this  condition  of  war, 
the  most  revolting  to  every  real  soldier.  Inquietude 
and  ill  humor  could  not  fail  to  prevail,  especially  in 
the  American  camp;  where  want  of  clothes,  want  of 
food,  and  empty  purses,  were  superadded.  Amid  these 
a  new  cause  of  uneasiness  was  excited.  Lieutenant 
colonel  Laurens,  who  became  a  prisoner  on  the  fall  of 
Charleston,  had  been  exchanged  by  congcess  out  of 
course,  which  was  much  disrelished  by  our  officers  in 
the  hands  of  the  enemy;  as  they  considered  every  de- 
parture from  the  usage  of  war  not  only  unjust  in  prin- 
ciple but  cruel  to  themselves  in  application.    This 
usage  secures  to  every  prisoner  his  exchange  in  turn; 
and  undoubtedly,  as  a  general  rule,  is  unexceptionable. 
Deviations  from  it  ought  rarely  to  be  admitted,  and 
then  only  from  a  strong  cause.  In  support  of  the  pre- 
sent deviation  it  was  contended  that  the  war  raged  in 
South  Carolina,  Laurens's  native  country;  that  his  ac- 
knowledged talents  would  therefore  be  singularly  use- 
ful in  that  theatre;  and  moreover,  that  he  was  aid-de- 
camp to  the  commander  in  chief,  and  consequently  was 
an  exception  to  the  general  rule.  No  doubt  these  argu- 
ments are  forcible,  and  will  always  have  weight  with 
the  sovereign.  They  did  not  however  tranquillize  the 
sensations  which  the  occurrence  had  excited.  Lieute- 
nant colonel  Laurens,  nfter  joining  the  southern  army, 


424  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

continued  in  the  family  of  general  Greene,  waiting  for 
some  change  of  circumstances  which  might  enable  the 
general  to  fix  him  permanently  in  the  line  of  service. 
This  Greene  was  very  desirous  of  effecting;  not  only 
because  the  resolution  of  congress  authorizing  his  ex- 
change called  indirectly  for  it,  but  the  commander  in 
chief  required  it  from  his  own  conviction  of  the  worth 
and  capacity  of  this  excellent  officer. 

Notwithstanding  these  high  authorities,  notwith- 
standing his  own  inclination  and  Laurens's  reputation, 
stubborn  difficulties  interposed,  not  to  be  readily  van- 
quished. Officers  of  the  highest  merit,  who  had  served 
under  himself  from  his  accession  to  the  command  of 
the  southern  army,  to  whom  he  owed,  and  to  whom  he 
felt,  every  obligation  which  a  general  can  owe  or  feel, 
must  be  supplanted  or  overlooked  to  make  way  for  the 
desired  appointment. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Lee  had  become  incapable  from 
his  ill  health  of  continuing  in  command  of  the  light 
troops,  and  had  obtained  leave  of  absence.  This  con- 
tingency produced  a  vacancy  which  the  general  had 
the  clear  right  of  supplying  at  his  will.  The  occur- 
rence offered  some  relief  to  the  embarrassment  into 
which  the  resolution  of  congress  and  the  wishes  of  the 
commandertn  chief  had  involved  general  Greene;  but 
as  the  vacant  station  was  the  most  desirable  within  his 
gift,  because  the  most  honorable,  the  prefermentof  an 
officer  who  had  not  shared  in  the  arduous  struggle  just 
closed,  to  the  many  who  had,  in  every  vicissitude  of 
his  eventful  campaign,  covered  themselves  with  glory, 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   425 

did  not  comport  with  justice,  and  could  not  escape 
animadversion.  To  smooth  the  difficulties  which  inter- 
vened, the  general  had  associated  Laurens  with  lieu- 
tenant colonel  Lee  in  the  expedition  against  St.  John's 
island,  hoping  that  the  brilliancy  of  the  presumed  suc- 
cess, would  cover  the  substitution  of  the  second  for 
the  first,  as  soon  as  that  officer  should  retire.  But  un- 
fortunately the  attempt  failed,  and  the  general  lost  the 
aid  which  he  expected  to  derive  from  the  magic  power 
of  victory.  In  this  perplexing  situation  some  of  gene- 
ral Greene's  confidential  advisers  did  not  hesitate  to 
urge  him  to  recede  from  his  purpose,  upon  the  ground 
of  the  superior  pretensions  of  officers,  whose  services 
imposed  upon  him  primary  attention.  Nor  would  this 
counsel  have  been  unavailing  had  not  the  general  been 
persuaded  that  his  omission  to  employ  lieutenant  co- 
lonel Laurens  would  be  considered  as  disrespectful  to 
the  commander  in  chief.  One  of  Greene's  aid-de- 
camps had  been  for  some  time  at  headquarters;  and 
from  this  gentleman  was  derived  the  information  which 
led  to  the  above  conclusion.  He  had  heard  insinua- 
tions in  the  family  of  Washington  which  lisped  these 
sentiments.  It  was  more  than  once  suggested  that  the 
general  of  the  South  had  been  less  communicative  than 
was  expected;  and  even  allusions  to  the  conduct  and 
fate  of  Gates  were  occasionally  made,  which  clearly 
imported  the  possibility,  if  not  probability,  that  the 
conqueror  in  the  South,  like  the  conqueror  in  the 
North,  might  become  the  rival  of  the  commander  in 
chief.  In  justice  to  general  Washington  it  was  ac- 

VOL.  II.  3  H 


426  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

knowledged  that  sentiments  of  this  sort  never  fell  from 
his  lips,  or  in  his  presence.  Nevertheless  when  those 
around  him  ventured  to  hold  such  language,  it  could 
not  but  inspire  unpleasant  feelings  in  the  breast  of 
Greene. 

General  Greene  determined,  at  every  hazard,  to  af- 
ford no  just  cause  for  such  unjust  suspicions.  He  de- 
clared his  conviction  that  Washington  himself  would 
spurn  such  insinuations,  unless  his  mind  should  have 
been  previously  poisoned  by  artful  and  designing 
men,  possessing  his  esteem  and  confidence. 

He  lamented  that  the  motives  which  actuated  his 
conduct  must,  from  their  nature,  be  concealed;  as  he 
was  persuaded  that  the  very  officers  themselves,  whom 
he  apparently  neglected,  would  approve  the  course  in 
the  then  stage  of  the  war,  when  every  opportunity  for 
the  acquirement  of  military  reputation  was  probably 
finalty  closed. 

In  consequence  of  this  resolution,  as  soon  as  lieute- 
nant colonel  Lee  took  leave,  the  general  new  modelled 
the  light  corps,*  giving  to  it  additional  strength.  By 

*  Headquarters,  camp  near  Bacon's  bridge. 
General  Gist  will  take  command  of  the  light  troops,  which  will 
consist  of  the  following  corps,  viz. 

The  cavalry  of  the  legion,  and  the  cavalry  of  the  third  and 
1'ourth  regiments,  under  the  command  of  colonel  Baylor. 

The  infantry  of  the  legion,  the  dismounted  dragoons  of  the 
third  regiment,  the  Delaware  regiment,  and  one  hundred  men 
properly  officered,  fit  for  light  infantry  service,  under  major 
Beall,  to  be  immediately  detached  from  the  line,  and  the  whole 
of  the  infantry  to  be  commanded  by  lieutenant  colonel  Laurens. 

General 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    427 

this  arrangement  he  was  warranted  in  calling  a  gene- 
ral officer  to  its  direction,  and  consequently  avoided 
those  just  complaints  which  must  have  arisen  among 
his  lieutenant  colonels,  had  the  command  been  conti- 
nued in  that  grade,  and  had  any  other  than  a  lieutenant 
colonel  of  his  own  army  been  honored  with  it. 

Brigadier  Gist,  of  the  Maryland  line,  who  had  lately 
reached  headquarters,  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the 
augmented  corps,  having  under  him  colonel  Baylor, 
of  the  third  regiment  of  dragoons,  who  had  also  lately 
joined,  and  lieutenant  colonel  Laurens.  The  first  com- 
manded the  cavalry,  and  the  last  the  infantry. 

However  judicious  the  course  adopted  by  general 
Greene  to  give  effect  to  the  wishes  of  the  commander 
in  chief  had  been,  disagreeable  consequences  never- 
theless ensued.  In  the  reorganization  of  the  light 
corps,  the  cavalry  of  the  third  regiment  and  of  the  le- 
gion had  been  united;  as  had  been  the  infantry  of  the 
legion  with  Kirkwood's  Delawares,  for  the  purpose  of 
forming  a  command  for  lieutenant  colonel  Laurens. 

The  separation  of  the  horse  and  foot  of  the  legion 
now  for  the  first  time  took  place,  and  gave  considera- 
ble umbrage  and  inquietude  to  the  officers  and  sol- 
General  Gist  will  make  such  further  arrangements  as  he  may- 
find  necessary;  but  that  the  service  may  be  accommodated  as 
much  as  possible  to  the  constitution  of  the  cavalry  corps,  when- 
ever the  cavalry  of  any  corps  are  ordered  out,  and  infantry  are 
wanted,  the  infantry  belonging  to  such  corps  will  march  with  it. 
Extract  from  the  general  orders  of  the  13th  June,  1782. 

Jos.  Harmar,  lieut.  col.  deputy  adjutant  general. 


428  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

diers.  The  first  considered  the  constitution  of  the 
corps  sacrificed,  and  the  last  had  been  so  long  habi- 
tuated to  fight  side  by  side,  that  they  were  very  un- 
willing to  commute  approved  and  beloved  comrades 
for  any  others,  however  brave. 

The  legion  officers  gave  vent  to  their  feelings  in  a 
remonstrance  to  the  general,  couched  in  terms  not  the 
most  loyal.  Greene  replied  with  moderation,  firmness 
and  dignity,  and  adhered  to  his  adopted  system.  This 
was  followed  by  the  resignation  of  every  officer  in  the 
legion,  a  result  as  unexpected  as  inconvenient.  The 
general  lamented  the  rash  step,  but  did  not  condescend 
by  any  relaxation  in  his  measures,  or  remodification 
of  the  light  troops,  to  avert  it.  He,  however,  reminded 
the  remonstrants  of  their  right  of  appeal  to  Congress, 
who  would  no  doubt  correct  the  proceedings  of  their 
generals,  whenever  they  might  invade  the  rights  or 
cancel  the  privileges  of  any  portion  of  the  troops  sub- 
mitted to  their  direction.  The  officers  had  acted  under 
the  impulse  of  first  impressions,  which,  though  honest, 
are  not  always  correct.  Passion  had  now  subsided,  and 
the  temerity  of  their  conduct  became  exposed  to  their 
view.  They  cheerfully  seized  the  opportunity  present- 
ed by  the  general's  suggestion,  withdrew  their  resig- 
nations, and  committed  their  case  to  the  controlling 
power  of  Congress. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  state  of  South  Carolina  had 
been  for  several  months  in  the  peaceable  enjoyment  of 
legal  government,  with  the  exception  of  the  metropo- 
lis, and  a  small  range  of  country  upon  the  Little  Pedee 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    429 

river.  A  major  Ganey,  with  his  band  of  royalists,  re- 
sided here;  and,  insulated  as  they  were,  still  resisted. 
Brigadier  Marion  had,  in  June  1781,  entered  into  a 
formal  treaty  with  Ganey  and  his  associates,  by  which 
they  were  pardoned  for  past  offences  (both  numerous 
and  atrocious,*)  secured  in  their  estates  and  in  the 
rights  of  citizenship,  upon  the  condition  that  they 
would  return  to  the  rightful  owners  all  plundered  pro- 
perty; that  they  would  renounce  for  ever  allegiance 
to  his  Britannic  majesty,  and  demean  themselves  here- 
after as  became  peaceable  citizens.  This  treatyf  was 

*  Among  the  many  murders  and  burning  of  houses  perpetrated 
by  this  banditti,  that  of  colonel  Kobb  was  singularly  atrocious.  A 
party  of  them,  led  by  a  captain  Jones,  surprised  the  colonel  on  a 
visit  to  his  family.  He  defended  his  house,  until  he  was  induced, 
by  the  promise  of  personal  safety,  to  surrender  as  a  prisoner  of 
war;  when  he  was  immediately  murdered  in  the  presence  of  his 
wife  and  children,  and  his  house  burnt. 

t  Articles  of  treaty  between  general  Marion,  in  behalf  of  South 
Carolina,  and  major  Ganey,  and  the  inhabitants  under  his 
command,  which  were  included  in  the  treaty  made  the  17th 
day  of  June,  1781. 
Article  1st.  Major  Ganey,  and  the  men  under  his  command, 
to  lay  down  their  arms  as  enemies  to  the  state,  and  are  not  to  re- 
sume them  again  until  ordered  to  do  so,  in  support  of  the  inter- 
ests of  the  United  States,  and  of  this  state  in  particular. 

Art.  2d.  We  will  deliver  up  all  negroes,  horses,  cattle,  and 

other  property,  that  have  been  taken  from  this  or  any  other  state. 

Art.  3d.  We  will  demean  ourselves  as  peaceable  citizens  of 

this  state,  and  submit  ourselves  to  be  governed  by  its  laws,  in  the 

same  manner  as  the  rest  of  the  citizens  thereof. 

Art.  4th.  We  do  engage  to  apprehend  and  deliver  up  all  per- 


430  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

now  renewed,  with  the  condition  that  such  of  the 
royalists  as  preferred  removing  into  the  British  lines* 
might  do  so,  and  take  with  them  their  property. 

sons  within  our  district,  who  shall  refuse  to  accede  to  these  terms, 
and  contumaciously  persist  in  rebellion  against  this  state. 

Art.  5th.  We  will  deliver  up,  as  soon  as  possible,  every  man 
who  belongs  to  any  regular  line  in  the  American  service,  and 
every  inhabitant  of  North  Carolina,  of  this,  or  any  other  state, 
who  have  joined  us  since  the  1 7th  of  June,  1781,  when  the  for- 
mer treaty  was  made,  or  oblige  them  to  go  out  of  the  district;  and 
whenever  they  return,  to  take  and  deliver  them  into  safe  custody 
in  any  gaol  within  the  state. 

Art.  6th.  Every  man  is  to  sign  an  instrument  of  writing,  pro- 
fessing his  allegiance  to  the  United  States  of  America,  and  the 
state  of  South  Carolina  in  particular;  and  to  abjure  his  Britannic 
majesty,  his  heirs,  successors  and  adherents;  and  promise  to  op- 
pose all  the  enemies  of  the  United  States,  and  the  state  of  South 
Carolina  in  particular. 

Art.  7th.  All  arms,  ammunition,  and  other  warlike  stores,  the 
property  of  the  British,  to  be  delivered  up. 

Art.  8th.  The  above  seven  articles,  being  agreed  on,  they  shall 
have  a  full  pardon  for  treasons  committed  by  them  against  the 
state,  and  enjoy  their  property,  and  be  protected  by  the  laws 
thereof. 

Art.  9th.  Such  men  who  do  not  choose  to  accede  to  these  arti- 
cles, shall  have  leave  to  go  within  the  British  lines,  and  to  march 
by  the  25th  instant,  and  be  safely  conducted,  with  such  of  their 
wives  and  children  as  may  be  able  to  travel,  and  carry  or  sell 
their  property,  except  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs,  which  they  may 
dispose  of,  but  not  carry  with  them.  Such  women  and  children 
who  cannot  be  removed,  may  remain  until  the  1st  day  of  Sep- 
tember next.  The  officers  to  keep  their  pistols  and  side  arms; 
all  other  arms  to  be  disposed  of,  and  not  carried  with  them.  Each 
Seld  officer  and  captain  to  retain  one  horse,  not  exceeding  twelve 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    431 

The  wise  and  forgiving  policy  which  dictated  the 
course  pursued  by  Marion,  was  attended  with  the 
happiest  consequences.  Bitter  enemies  were  converted 
into  warm  friends;  and  many  of  these  reclaimed  citi- 
zens enrolled  themselves  in  the  corps  of  Marion,  ready 
to  fight  by  the  sides  of  their  countrymen,  whose  lives 
they  had  sought  by  night  and  by  day  from  the  fall  of 
Charleston  to  the  period  of  this  treaty. 

During  these  transactions  in  South  Carolina,  briga- 
dier Wayne  pursued  with  vigor  his  operations  in 
Georgia.  At  the  head  of  a  force  equal  only  to  half  of 
that  opposed  to  him,  he  nevertheless  exhibited  that 
daringness  of  character  which  marked  his  military  life. 
The  signal  chastisement  inflicted  by  major  general 
Grey  at  the  Paoli,  in  the  campaign  of  1777,  with 
some  minor  admonitions,  had,  it  is  true,  subjected 
this  natural  propensity  in  some  degree  to  the  control 
of  circumspection.  While  in  command  before  Savan- 
nah, his  orders,  his  plans,  his  motions,  all  bespoke 
foresight  and  vigilance;  and  although  he  played  a  ha- 
zardous game,  he  not  only  avoided  detriment  or  af- 
front, but  added  to  the  honor  of  our  arms.  The  pacific 

in  the  whole;  and  no  other  person  to  take  with  him  any  more 
horses,  that  may  be  fit  for  dragoon  service,  within  the  British 
lines. 

We  have  agreed  to  the  before-mentioned  nine  articles,  and 
have  signed  the  same  at  Birch's  mill,  on  Pedee,  this  8th  day  of 
June,  1782. 

Francis  Marion,  Brigadier  General,  State  of 

South  Carolina. 
Micajah  Ganky,  Major  of  Loyalists,  Pedee, 


432  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

policy  lately  adopted  by  the  British  general,  and  to 
which  brigadier  Clui  Ice  invariably  adhered,  contribut- 
ed not  a  little  to  a  result  so  favorable  to  our  views. 

The  British  general  rarely  sent  detachments  into  the 
country,  and  only  once  in  considerable  force:  never 
with  the  view  of  provoking  resistance,  but  always 
with  the  expectation  of  accomplishing  his  object  by 
the  secrecy  and  celerity  of  his  measures.  About  the 
middle  of  May  he  received  information  of  an  intended 
trading  visit  from  some  of  his  Indian  friends,  then 
considerably  advanced  on  their  route  to  Savannah.  To 
protect  this  party  from  the  corps  under  Wayne,  to 
which  it  was  exposed  in  its  progress,  lieutenant  colo- 
nel Brown  (who  had  been  exchanged  soon  after  his 
surrender  of  Augusta)  was  detached  by  brigadier 
Clarke  on  the  19th,  with  three  hundred  and  fifty  in- 
fantry and  a  squadron  of  cavalry.  Brown  advanced  as 
far  as  Ogeachy  to  meet  the  Indians;  but  being  disap- 
pointed, he  moved  early  in  the  morning  of  the  21st, 
to  regain  Savannah.  It  appears  that  a  dispute  having 
arisen  between  the  warriors  of  the  Overhill  Creeks, 
from  which  tribe  this  trading  party  came,  had  occa- 
sioned a  delay  for  a  few  weeks;  otherwise  the  Indians 
would  have  reached  Ogeachy  the  very  evening  Brown 
arrived  there. 

Wayne  discovered,  on  the  20th,  that  a  detachment 
of  the  enemy  had  passed  from  Savannah  to  the  Ogea- 
chy; and  he  took  his  measures  forthwith  to  intercept 
it  on  its  return.  With  this  view  his  corps  (about  five 
hundred  effectives,  mostly  infantry,  with  three  grass- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    433 

hoppers,)  were  put  in  motion.  The  van  consisted  of 
one  company  of  light  infantry  and  a  section  of  dra- 
goons, under  the  orders  of  captain  Alexander  Parker. 
This  officer  was  directed  to«hasten  his  march  through 
woods  and  swamps,  and  to  seize  a  causeway  on  which 
Brown  must  necessarily  pass.  Parker  was  ordered, 
whenever  he  met  the  enemy,  to  reserve  his  fire,  and 
to  fall  upon  him  with  sword  and  bayonet.  Wayne  fol- 
lowed with  the  main  body,  to  support  his  van.  About 
ten  in  the  forenoon  captain  Parker  reached  the  cause- 
way, when  he  discovered  a  small  patrole  of  cavalry  in 
his  front.  Each  advancing,  the  two  parties  soon  met, 
when  captain  Parker  accosted  the  leading  file,  and  de- 
manded the  countersign.  Confounded  or  deceived,  the 
British  officer,  instead  of  falling  back  upon  Brown, 
approached  Parker  in  the  attitude  of  friendship.  He 
now  discovered  his  mistake,  but  too  late  to  extricate 
himself,  and  was  with  his  patrole  taken,  except  one 
dragoon,  who  got  back  to  colonel  Brown,  moving  in 
column  to  sustain  his  van,  with  his  cavalry  in  front. 

Lieutenant  Bowyer,  who  commanded  our  horse, 
was  ordered  to  charge,  which  was  executed  with  de- 
cision. Bowyer  was  supported  by  Parker  with  his 
infantry.  The  British  cavalry  were  thrown  into  confu- 
sion; and,  as  Brown's  whole  force  was  in  column  on 
the  causeway,  from  whence  there  was  no  moving  to 
the  right  or  left,  the  substitution  of  his  infantry  for 
his  cavalry  became  impracticable,  and  the  British  co- 
lonel was  obliged  to  fall  back.  This  was  accomplished 
without  loss,  as  general  Wayne  did  not  get  up  in 

Vol.  II.  3  1 


434  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

time  to  improve  the  advantage  gained  by  Parker. 
Two  of  our  van  were  killed  and  three  were  wounded. 
We  took  major  Alexander,  second  in  command,  and 
eighteen  dragoons,  with»their  horses  and  furniture. 
Wayne  had  been  delayed  by  the  swamps,  which  in 
the  South  invariably  present  stubborn  difficulties  to 
the  march  of  troops. 

As  soon  as  he  reached  Parker  he  pursued  the 
enemy;  but  all  his  endeavours  to  renew  the  action 
proved  abortive,  and  Brown  made  good  his  retreat  to 
Savannah. 

The  Indians,  whom  lieutenant  colonel  Brown  ex- 
pected to  meet,  would  have  rendered  his  corps  superior 
to  that  under  Wayne,  when  the  encounter  might  have 
terminated  differently.  General  Wayne  seems  either 
to  have  been  unapprized  of  this  intended  junction,  or 
to  have  disregarded  it;  for  he  pressed  forward  to  strike 
his  foe,  regardless  of  ground  or  number.  The  occa- 
sional fortuitous  success  of  such  conduct  encourages 
the  ardent  soldier  to  put  himself  upon  his  fortune  and 
his  courage, — overlooking  those  numerous,  sure  and 
effectual  aids  to  be  drawn  from  accurate  intelligence 
and  due  circumspection.  Fortune  at  length  forsakes 
him,  no  prop  remains  to  support  him  but  his  courage, 
and  he  falls  the  victim  of  his  own  presumption;  honored 
for  his  bravery,  but  condemned  for  his  temerity. 

Some  weeks  before  general  Clarke  made  this  at- 
tempt to  secure  the  safe  entry  of  his  Indian  friends 
into  Savannah,  Wayne  had  intercepted  a  trading  party 
of  the  Creeks  on  their  way  to  the  British  garrison.  Of 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    435 

these  the  American  general  detained  a  few  as  hostages, 
and  permitted  the  rest  to  return  to  their  own  country. 
This  generous  treatment  seems  to  have  inspired  ap- 
prehensions in  Savannah,  that  its  effect  would  diminish 
the  British  influence  among  the  Creeks;  an  event  de- 
precated by  the  enemy  in  case  of  continuance  of  the 
war,  which,  though  improbable,  might  nevertheless 
happen.  Therefore  it  was  thought  proper  to  prevent, 
by  suitable  succor,  the  interruption  of  this  second 
visit.  To  that  end  Brown  had  been  detached.  Not 
only,  as  has  been  seen,  did  the  effort  fail,  but  it  was 
followed  by  a  disaster  very  unpleasant  to  the  enemy, 
and  in  its  conclusion  pregnant  with  cause  of  regret  to 
ourselves. 

Guristersigo,  a  principal  warrior  among  the  Creeks, 
conducted  the  party  of  Indians  lately  expecte-d  by 
Clarke.  Although  he  did  not  arrive  at  the  appointed 
rendezvous  so  as  to  meet  Brown,  he  reached  it  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  succeeding  month. 

This  warrior,  accompanied  by  his  white  men,  his 
guides,  passed  through  the  whole  state  of  Georgia 
unperceived,  except  by  two  boys,  who  were  taken 
and  killed;  and  having  reached  the  neighborhood  of 
Wayne  on  the  23d  of  June,  he  determined  to  strike 
at  a  picquet  of  the  American  corps  stationed,  as  he 
was  informed,  at  Gibbons'  plantation,  directly  on  the 
route  to  and  not  far  distant  from  Savannah. 

There  were  two  plantations  so  called,  in  the  same 
range  of  country,  both  of  which  were  occasionally 
stations  for  our  troops.  At  this  time  Wayne  himself 


436  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

with  the  main  body  occupied  one,  while  the  other 
was  on  the  same  day  (22d)  held  by  a  picquet  guard. 
Not  only  to  avoid  Wayne,  but  to  carry  this  picquet, 
became  the  object  of  Guristersigo;  and  he  acquired 
through  his  white  conductors  the  requisite  intelligence, 
with  negro  guides  for  the  execution  of  his  purpose. 

Wayne,  in  pursuance  of  a  system  adopted  to  avoid 
surprise  (of  which  the  Indian  chief  was  uninformed), 
moved  every  night;  and  consequently  the  calculation 
that  he  would  be  on  the  23d  where  he  had  been  on 
the  22d  was  unfounded.  The  reverse  was  the  fact, 
which  would  undoubtedly  have  been  perceived  by 
Guristersigo  had  he  been  acquainted  with  the  custom 
of  the  American  general,  and  his  plan  of  attack  would 
have  been  modified  accordingly.  Decamping  from 
Gibbons'  late  in  the  evening  of  the  22d,  Wayne 
exchanged  positions  with  his  picquet,  and  thus  fortu- 
nately held  the  very  post  against  which  the  Indian 
warrior  had  pointed  his  attack. 

Here  the  light  infantry  under  Parker  (who  had 
been  for  several  days  close  to  Savannah)  joined,  and 
being  much  harassed  by  the  late  tour  of  duty,  was 
ordered  by  the  brigadier  to  take  post  near  to  his  artil- 
lery, in  the  rear.  Knowing  but  one  enemy  (the  garri- 
son of  Savannah)  Wayne  gave  his  entire  attention  to 
that  quarter;  and  conscious,  from  his  precautions,  that 
no  movement  could  be  made  by  the  enemy  in  Savannah 
without  due  notice,  he  forbore  to  burden  his  troops 
with  the  protection  of  his  rear,  because  in  his  opinion 
unnecessary.  A  single  sentinel  only  from  the  quarter- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    437 

guard  was  posted  in  the  rear,  on  the  main  road  leading 
through  the  camp  to  Savannah,  and  the  very  road 
which  Guristersigo  meant  to  take. 

Soon  after  nightfall  the  Indian  chief  at  the  head 
of  his  warriors  emerged  from  the  deep  swamps,  in 
which  he  had  lain  concealed,  and  gained  the  main 
road.  He  moved  in  profound  silence,  and  about  three 
in  the  morning  reached  the  vicinity  of  our  camp;  here 
he  halted,  and  made  his  disposition  for  battle.  Believ- 
ing that  he  had  to  deal  with  a  small  detachment  only, 
his  plan  of  attack  was  simple  and  efficient.  Preceded 
by  a  few  of  the  most  subtle  and  daring  of  his  comrades, 
directed  to  surprise  and  kill  the  sentinel,  he  held  him- 
self ready  to  press  forward  with  the  main  body  upon 
the  signal  to  advance.  This  was  not  long  delayed.  His 
wily  precursors  having  encompassed  our  sentinel, 
killed  him,  when  Guristersigo,  bounding  from  his 
stand,  fell  with  his  whole  force  upon  our  rear.  Aroused 
from  sleep,  the  light  infantry  stood  to  their  arms,  and 
the  matrosses  closed  with  their  guns. 

But  the  enemy  was  amongst  them;  which  being 
perceived  by  Parker,  he  judiciously  drew  off  in  si- 
lence and  joined  the  quarter-guard  behind  Gibbons' 
house  at  headquarters.  The  general  had  about  this 
time  mounted,  and,  concluding  that  the  garrison  of 
Savannah  was  upon  him,  he  resorted  to  the  bayonet, 
determined  to  die  sword  in  hand.  Orders  to  this  effect 
were  given  to  Parker  and  despatched  to  lieutenant 
colonel  Posey,  commanding  in  camp,  distant  a  few 
hundred  yards.    Captain   Parker,   seconded   by   the 


438  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

quarter-guard,  advanced  upon  the  foe;  and  Posey 
moved  with  all  possible  celerity  to  support  the  light 
troops,  but  did  not  arrive  in  time  to  share  in  the 
action.  Wayne,  participating  with  his  light  corps  in 
the  surrounding  dangers,  was  now  dismounted,  his 
horse  being  killed;  the  light  troops,  nevertheless,  con- 
tinued to  press  forward,  and  Parker  drove  all  in  his 
way  back  to  our  cannon,  where  the  Indian  chief  with 
a  part  of  his  warriors  were  attempting  to  turn  our 
guns  to  their  aid.  Here  Guristersigo  renewed  the  con- 
flict, and  fought  gallantly;  but  the  rifle  and  tomahawk 
are  unavailing  when  confronted  by  the  bayonet  in  close 
quarters.  We  soon  recovered  our  artillery,  and  Guris- 
tersigo, fighting  bravely,  was  killed.  Seventeen  of  his 
warriors  and  his  white  guides  fell  by  his  side,  the 
rest  fled. 

Now  it  was  discovered  that  the  assailing  foe  was 
not  from  Savannah.  Although  surprised  at  the  extra- 
ordinary occurrence,  Wayne  adapted  with  promptitude 
his  measures  to  the  occasion,  and,  scattering  his  troops 
in  every  direction,  pursued  the  flying  Indians.  Twelve 
of  them  were  taken,  and  after  a  few  hours  captivity 
were  put  to  death  by  order  of  the  general.  One  hun- 
dred and  seventeen  pack  horses,  laden  with  peltry, 
fell  into  our  hands;  and  although  every  exertion  was 
made  to  capture  the  surviving  Indians,  they  all  got 
back  to  their  distant  country.  Our  loss  was  small,  not 
exceeding  twelve  killed  and  wounded. 

This  bold  and  concluding  scene,  though  highly 
honorable  to  the  unlettered  chief,   did  not  surpass 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    439 

those  which  preceded  it  in  the  progress  of  his  daring 
enterprise.  The  accuracy  of  the  intelligence  obtained 
respecting  the  interior  of  Georgia,  the  geographical 
exactitude  with  which  he  shaped  his  course,  the  con- 
trol he  established  over  his  rude  band — repressin  g 
appetite  for  plunder  when  opportunity  for  gratifica- 
tion hourly  occurred — and  the  decision  with  which 
he  made  his  final  arrangements,  alike  merit  applause. 
Guristersigo  died  as  he  had  lived,  the  renowned  warrior 
of  the  Over- hill  Creeks. 

Wayne  behaved  with  his  accustomed  gallantry.  Not 
doubting  but  that  general  Clarke  with  his  whole  force 
from  Savannah  was  upon  him,  he  determined  to  cut 
his  way  to  victory,  or  to  die  in  the  midst  of  his  enemy. 
To  this  end  was  his  order  to  captain  Parker;  to  this 
end  was  his  order  to  lieutenant  colonel  Posey;  and  to 
this  end  was  his  own  conduct  and  example.  It  is  true 
the  American  general  was  surprised;  but  if  a  surprise 
can  be  overlooked,  this  is  the  one.  Who  could  sup- 
pose that  an  Indian  warrior  would  be  found  bold 
enough  to  relinquish  his  safe  and  distant  forests  to 
traverse  longitudinally  the  state  of  Georgia,  and  to 
force  his  entry  through  an  investing  army  into  Sa- 
vannah. If  the  comprehensive  and  searching  mind 
had,  in  its  prying  into  all  possible  adventures,  pre- 
sumed upon  such  an  attempt,  it  would  scarcely  have 
been  brought  to  conclude,  that  the  enterprise  could 
have  remained  undiscovered  until  the  edge  of  the 
Indian  tomahawk  was  felt  in  our  camp. 

However  military  critics  may  be  disposed,  to  with- 


440  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

hold  censure  in  consequence  of  the  novelty  and  singu- 
larity of  the  late  enterprise,  yet,  like  every  other  incident 
in  war,  it  demonstrates  that  the  general  who  is  content- 
ed with  the  inadequate  protection  of  his  camp,  not 
only  places  himself  at  the  disposal  of  fortune,  but 
invites  disaster.  This  would  probably  have  been  the 
result  now,  had  not  the  Indian  chief  been  turned  from 
his  right  course  by  taking  our  cannon,  and  thus  gave 
time  to  recover  by  valor  what  had  been  lost  by  want 
of  due  caution. 

As  soon  as  general  Wayne  had  buried  the  dead, 
and  taken  care  of  the  wounded,  he  changed  his 
ground  as  usual;  and  finding  that  he  had  an  enemy 
in  rear  as  well  as  in  front,  he  became  more  circum- 
spect in  his  future  arrangements. 

This  was  the  last  rencontre  in  Georgia.  General 
Clarke  held  his  troops  safe  within  his  fortifications, 
prepared  to  evacuate  Savannah  whenever  he  should 
receive  orders  to  that  effect,  which  he  knew  could 
not  be  long  deferred. 

Wayne  continued  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  enemy 
pursuing  his  desultory  game,  and  watching  with  un- 
ceasing vigilance  his  adversary's  motions.  Early  in 
July  he  was  visited  by  a  deputation  of  merchants 
from  Savannah,  under  the  protection  of  a  flag  of 
truce,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  on  what  con- 
ditions the  British  subjects  might  be  permitted  to 
remain  with  their  property,  for  a  given  term,  af><  i  the 
evacuation  of  the  city,  which  event  might  be  daiN  ex- 
pected in  consequence  of  orders  recently  received. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    441 

General  Wayne  informed  the  deputation,  that  when- 
ever the  British  garrison  should  withdraw,  he  would 
protect  the  persons  and  property  of  all  who  might  re- 
main; but  that  the  ultimate  disposal  of  the  one  and  of 
the  other  belonged  to  the  civil  authority  of  the  state, 
to  which  he  would  communicate  the  purport  of  their 
application.  This  answer  being  made  known  to  the 
merchants  and  other  inhabitants  wishing  to  remain  in 
Savannah,  they,  by  permission  of  the  British  general, 
sent  a  second  deputation  to  the  American  headquar- 
ters, with  the  view  of  fixing  definitively  the  conditions 
on  which  they  might  be  indulged  in  their  desire. 

In  the  mean  time  general  Wayne  had  consulted 
governor  Martin,  who,  soon  after  the  American  de- 
tachment entered  Georgia,  removed  with  his  council 
of  state  to  Ebenezer,  for  the  purpose  of  extending 
the  limits  of  the  civil  authority.  In  pursuance  of  the 
governor's  instructions,  the  American  general  gave 
assurances  to  the  inhabitants,  that  all  who  chose  to 
remain  should  be  protected  in  person  and  property, 
and  should  be  allowed  sufficient  time  to  dispose  of 
their  property  and  to  adjust  their  affairs,  when  they 
might  depart  in  manner  and  form  most  agreeable 
to  themselves.  Major  Habersham,  a  respectable  offi- 
cer in  the  line  of  Georgia,  was  employed  by  general 
Wayne  in  the  conclusion  of  this  business,  and  seems 
to  have  afforded  facility  to  the  arrangements  by  the. 
confidence  reposed  in  his  personal  character. 

Satisfied  with  the  assurance  given,  many  of  the 
British  subjects  discontinued  their  preparations  for 

Vol.  II.  3  K 


442  ^Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

removal,  and  were  found  in  the  town  when  entered  by 
Wayne.  They  received  the  promised  protection,  and 
pursued,  without  molestation,  their  customary  occu- 
pations. As  soon  as  the  loyalists  had  finished  their 
arrangements  with  the  American  general,  brigadier 
Clarke  completed  his  begun  evacuation  (on  the  11th 
July)  and  general  Wayne  on  the  same  day  took  pos- 
session of  Savannah,  which  had  been  for  more  than 
three  years  occupied  by  the  enemy. 

The  spontaneous  restoration  of  Georgia  to  the  Uni- 
ted States  confirmed  the  expectation  which  prevailed, 
that  the  further  prosecution  of  the  war  in  America 
had  been  relinquished  by  his  Britannic  majesty,  which 
would  necessarily  be  soon  followed  by  the  recal  of  the 
royal  army  and  fleet. 

Previous  to  this  event  lieutenant  colonel  Carrington 
rejoined.  While  at  the  High  Hills  of  Santee  this  offi- 
cer, although  at  the  head  of  the  quarter  master  gene- 
ral's department,  was  permitted  by  the  general  to  re- 
pair to  the  main  army,  in  consequence  of  a  vacancy  in 
the  line  of  artillery  by  the  resignation  of  colonel  Proc- 
tor, of  Pennsylvania.  Carrington  was  considered  as 
entitled  to  the  vacancy,  and  took  command  of  the  regi- 
ment on  its  arrival  in  Virginia,  with  part  of  the  allied 
army.  But  inasmuch  as  congress  had  not  established 
the  mode  of  promotion  in  the  cavalry  and  artillery,  his 
continuance  in  the  command  of  the  regiment  was  un- 
certain; and  therefore  general  Greene  determined  that, 
though  absent,  he  should  govern  the  department 
through  his  deputy,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  his 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    443 

future  services,  should  his  expectation  of  promotion 
fail.  On  captain  Crump,  of  the  Virginia  line,  second 
in  the  department,  the  important  trust  devolved  during 
the  absence  of  his  principal,  who  discharged  its  various 
duties  with  intelligence  and  effect.  When  the  siege  of 
York  terminated,  Carrington,  disappointed  in  his  ex- 
pected promotion,  repaired  to  Philadelphia  bjy  order 
of  general  Greene  for  the  purpose  of  concerting  mea- 
sures with  the  superintendant  of  finance,  for  the  future 
subsistence  and  clothing  of  the  southern  army.  Mr. 
Morris  entered  with  alacrity  into  the  proposed  appli- 
cation of  a  portion  of  the  funds*  under  his  direction  to 
this  desirable  object.  In  pursuance  whereof  general 
Greene  was  empowered  to  contract  for  the  requisite 
supplies,  payable  in  specie;  by  which  arrangement, 
the  irksome  and  wasteful  system  heretofore  pursued 
was  superseded,  and  the  cheering  prospect  of  regular 
subsistence  and  comfortable  clothing  was  presented  to 
the  long  suffering  army  of  the  South. 

The  evacuation  of  Savannah  was  followed  in  the 
same  month  (August)  by  the  meeting  of  the  general 
assembly  of  Georgia  at  Augusta,  when  the  exercise 
of  the  civil  authority  was  completely  re-established 
throughout  the  state.  Brigadier  Wayne  having,  soon 
after  the  withdraw  of  the  royal  forces,  detached  lieu- 
tenant colonel  Posey  to  the  main  army,  now  proceeded 
to  South  Carolina  with  the  remainder.  General  Greene, 
concentrating  his  troops,  drew  nearer  to  Charleston, 
and  directed  his  operations  to  the  single  object  of  pre- 

*  See  Carrington's  letter. 


444  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

venting  the  enemy  from  deriving  any  subsistence  from 
the  country. 

August.  The  intention  of  evacuating  Charleston  was 
now  announced  in  general  orders  by  the  British  gene- 
ral; who,  however,  continued  to  exert  his  force  in  pro- 
curing the  provisions  necessary  not  only  for  the  daily 
support  of  the  arm}  and  loyalists,  but  also  for  their 
maintenance  until  the  first  should  be  established  in 
their  future  quarters,  and  the  last  trai  splanted  to  their 
intended  settlements.  Small  parties  were  therefore  oc- 
casionally detached  from  Charleston  in  various  direc- 
tions through  those  parts  of  the  country  remote  from 
the  American  army,  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  and 
transporting  rice,  corn,  and  meat,  to  the  British  head- 
quarters. Sometimes  these  parties  succeeded;  but 
generally  they  were  compelled  to  return  without  ef- 
fecting the  object  of  their  incursion. 

Major  general  Leslie  soon  perceived  the  preca- 
riousness  of  this  resource;  to  remedy  which,  and  to 
stop  the  further  effusion  of  blood,  now  unnecessary  as 
to  the  main  object  of  the  war,  notwithstanding  the  re- 
jection of  his  pacific  overture  some  time  before,  ad- 
dressed general  Greene  by  letter,*  (August)  express- 
ing the  motives  and  object  of  his  military  inroads,  and 
proposing  to  discontinue  them,  on  condition  of  being 
permitted  to  purchase  from  the  country  such  supplies 
as  might  be  necessary  during  his  continuance  in 
Charleston.  The  civil  authority  was  necessarily  con- 
sulted on  Leslie's  proposition  by  the  American  gene- 

*  See  letter. 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    445 

ral.  So  manifold  and  interesting  were  the  advantages 
to  our  army  from  agreeing  to  the  enemy's  proposal, 
that  deliberation  seemed  to  border  upon  absurdity. 
The  American  soldiers  were  covered  by  tattered  gar- 
ments, destitute  of  shoes,  and  scarcely  furnished  with 
blankets.  Winter  was  approaching,  when  privations 
now  tolerable  would  become  intolerable;  and  every 
effort  had  been  vainly  essayed  to  procure  clothing  on 
the  credit  of  the  specie  funds  appropriated  by  the  su- 
perintendant  of  finance  in  the  preceding  spring,  to  the 
use  of  the  southern  army,  which,  by  the  proposed 
intercourse,  might  have  been  readily  obtained  from 
Charleston.  Imperiously,  as  was  the  general  urged  by 
these  considerations  to  avail  himself  of  the  opportunity 
within  his  grasp,  he  was  constrained  to  forego  it.  The 
government  of  South  Carolina  entertained  the  belief, 
that  the  British  army,  on  the  evacuation  of  Charles- 
ton, would  be  transferred  to  the  West  Indies.  Con- 
nected with  this  opinion  was  the  conviction  that  the 
proposed  purchase  of  provisions  was  not  so  much  in 
tended  to  meet  present  wants,  but  to  amass  magazines 
for  the  support  of  the  British  forces  contending  against 
our  ally  in  that  quarter.  To  accommodate  the  enemy 
in  the  accomplishment  of  this  object  was  deemed  dis- 
honorable and  perfidious;  therefore  it  was  determined 
to  endure  present  ills  rather  than  tarnish  the  national 
character:  the  proposition  of  general  Leslie  was  accor- 
dingly rejected. 

Sensibly  as  did  the  American  army  feel  this  unex- 
pected termination  of  the  enemy's  overture,  not  a  mur- 


446  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

mur  was  heard  in  its  ranks.  Trained  to  suffer  when 
required  so  to  do  by  authority,  the  officers  and  soldiers 
exemplified  upon  this  occasion  their  immutable  dis- 
position to  forget  their  own  wants  in  their  zeal  to  up- 
hold the  cause  and  character  of  their  country. 

The  punctilious  observance  of  the  obligations  of 
treaties  and  scrupulous  obedience  to  the  injunctions 
of  honor  cannot  be  too  much  applauded;  yet  it  will 
scarcely  be  contended  that  compliance  with  the  pro- 
posal of  general  Leslie  either  violated  the  treaty  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  his  most  christian  majes- 
ty, or  trenched  upon  the  principle  of  honor;  nor  can 
it  be  denied  that  it  subserved  the  cause  of  humanity. 
The  British  general's  letter  candidly  expressed  his 
situation,  amicably  showed  his  unwillingness  to  shed 
more  blood,  now  culpable  because  useless,  but  at  the 
same  time  frankly  announced  that  unless  he  could  be 
supplied  with  provisions  in  the  manner  proposed,  he 
must  obtain  them  by  force. 

How  easy  would  it  have  been  for  the  governor  and 
general,  with  their  past  solicitude,  to  observe  the  stipu- 
lations of  treaties,  and  to  avoid  even  in  appearance  the 
violation  of  honor,  to  have  accepted  the  enemy's  pro- 
position on  the  express  condition  that  the  subsistence 
to  be  procured  should  be  limited  to  present  support, 
and  to  that  of  the  approaching  voyage,  declaring  that 
any  attempt  to  transcend  the  specified  limits  should 
cancel  the  contract.  The  limitations  which  a  temperate 
examination  of  the  enemy's  overture  would  have  sug- 
gested never  came  into  view;  and  in  the  overstrained 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    447 

anxiety  to  avoid  possible  injury  to  France,  the  abso- 
lute advantages,  comfort  to  our  suffering  soldiers,  and 
stoppage  to  human  slaughter,  were  neglected.  This 
mistaken  decision  was  $pon  followed  by  its  natural, 
and  with  as  deeply  lamented,  consequences. 

Foiled  in  accomplishing  his  object  in  the  way  de- 
sired, the  British  general  prepared  to  resume  his  sus- 
pended incursions  into  the  country,  determined  to  ef- 
fect by  force  the  procurement  of  those  supplies  which 
he  had  flattered  himself  with  obtaining  by  purchase. 
Supported  by  marine  co-operation  applicable  with  rear 
diness  to  all  the  circumjacent  country  by  the  facilities 
of  its  interior  navigation,  and  possessing  the  contigu-: 
ous  islands,  with  strong  detachments  from  his  army, 
general  Leslie  proceeded  to  the  execution  of  his  deter- 
mination, fearless  of  consequences,  but  lamenting  the 
necessity  of  wasting  human  life  in  useless  battle. 

A  detachment  of  light  infantry,  attended  by  armed 
vessels,  passed  along  the  interior  navigation,  and  hav- 
ing reached  Combahee  river,  began  to  collect  and  con- 
vey provisions  to  the  transports  which  accompanied  the 
expedition  for  the  purpose  of  transporting  to  Charles- 
ton whatever  might  be  procured.  General  Greene, 
never  doubting  Leslie's  execution  of  his  menace,  held 
his  light  corps  ready  to  counteract  any  attempt  he. 
might  make.  As  soon  therefore  as  he  became  apprized 
of  the  movement  of  the  British  detachment,  he  direct- 
ed brigadier  Gist  to  advance  in  pursuit.  Gist  was  soon 
in  motion,  and  after  a  long  and  rapid  march  gained  the 
neighborhood  of  the  enemy,  then  at  Page's  Point,  on 


448  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

the  Combahee.  At  this  moment  lieutenant  colonel 
Laurens,  commanding  the  infantry  under  Gist,  joined, 
having,  as  soon  as  informed  of  the  march  of  the  light 
troops,  left  his  sick  bed  to  hasten  to  the  field  of  battle. 
Laurens  no  sooner  overtook  the  corps  than,  by  per- 
mission of  the  brigadier,  he  put  himself  at  the  head  of 
the  American  van.  Discovering  that  the  enemy  were 
preparing  to  retire,  he  determined,  with  his  inferior 
force,  though  out  of  supporting  distance,  to  commence 
the  attack.  This  bold  decision  was  gallantly  executed; 
but  incapable  of  making  any  serious  impression  from 
the  inadequacy  of  his  force,  he  fell  in  the  vain  attempt 
at  the  head  of  his  intrepid  band,  closing  his  short  and 
splendid  life  in  the  lustre  of  heroism.  Gist  now  got  up 
with  the  main  body,  and  took  one  of  the  vessels  from 
the  enemy  returning  to  Charleston. 

The  British  general  finding  himself  foiled  in  his  ex- 
pectations, henceforward  discontinued  these  predatory 
inroads,  and  confined  his  exertions  in  the  collection  of 
provisions  to  the  islands  along  the  coast,  and  to  the 
country  contiguous  to  the  interior  navigation,  remote 
from  the  American  camp. 

Preparations  for  the  evacuation  of  Charleston  pro- 
gressed, but  not  with  the  celerity  expected.  This  ex- 
cited apprehensions  among  the  owners  of  the  nume- 
rous bodies  of  negroes  within  the  enemy's  lines,  that 
with  the  withdraw  of  the  army  would  be  carried  off 
their  slaves.  They  made  known  their  apprehensions  to 
governor  Matthews,  who  addressed  a  letter  to  general 
Leslie  on  the  subject,  and  reminded  him  of  the  act  of 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   4,4,9 

confiscation  passed  by  the  legislature,  from  the  opera- 
tion of  which  had  been  exempted  all  debts  due  to  Bri- 
tish merchants,  and  claims  on  real  estates  by  marriage 
settlement.  These  two  funds,  added  to  that  arising 
from  the  confiscation  of  estates,  furnished  a  valuable 
resource;  and  the  governor  assured  general  Leslie  that 
he  would  apply  them  in  remunerating  his  fellow  citi- 
zens for  their  negroes,  if  removed  with  the  retiring- 
army. 

This  annunciation  seriously  affected  the  loyalists  in 
Charleston,  and  especially  the  mercantile  portion  of 
them,  ever  alive  to  the  feelings  of  interest.  They  soon 
beset  the  British  general,  who  was  always  inclined  to 
do  right  and  to  diminish  the  evils  of  war.  Leslie,  in 
reply  to  the  governor,  proposed  negotiation,  with  the 
view  of  reconciling  the  opposite  interests  of  the  ad- 
verse parties.  Commissioners  were  accordingly  ap- 
pointed with  full  powers  to  treat  upon  the  subject. 
The  honorable  William  Gerrard,  on  the  part  of  the 
state,  and  Alexander  Wright  and  James  Robertson,  on 
the  part  of  the  loyalists.  The  discussion  which  ensued 
terminated  in  a  compact  on  the  10th  of  October,  to 
the  following  effect. 

"  That  all  the  slaves  of  the  citizens  of  South  Caro- 
lina now  in  the  power  of  the  honorable  major  general 
Leslie  shall  be  restored  to  their  former  owners  as  far 
as  is  practicable;  except  such  slaves  as  may  have  ren- 
dered themselves  particularly  obnoxious  on  account  of 
their  attachment  and  services  to  the  British  troops, 
and  such  as  had  specific  promises  of  freedom.  That 

Vol.  II.  3  L 


450     ■>  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

the  faith  of  the  state  is  hereby  solemnly  pledged  that 
none  of  the  debts  due  to  British  merchants,  or  to  per- 
sons who  have  been  banished,  or  whose  estates  have 
been  confiscated,  or  property  secured  by  family  settle- 
ments fairly  made,  or  contracts  relative  thereto,  shall 
now,  or  at  any  time  hereafter,  be  arrested  or  withheld 
by  the  executive  authority  of  the  state;  that  no  act  of 
the  legislature  shall  hereafter  pass  for  confiscating,  or 
seizing  the  same,  in  any  manner  whatever,  if  it  is  in 
the  power  of  the  executive  to  prevent  it;  and  that  its 
whole  power  and  influence  within  its  public  and  pri- 
vate capacity  shall  at  all  times  be  exerted  for  that  pur- 
pose. 

"  That  the  same  power  shall  be  allowed  for  the  reco- 
very of  the  debts  and  property  hereby  protected  and 
secured,  by  the  parties  or  their  representatives  in  the 
courts  of  justice  or  otherwise,  as  the  citizens  of  the  state 
may  be  or  at  any  time  were  entitled  to,  notwithstand- 
ing any  act  of  confiscation  or  banishment,  or  any  other 
disability  whatsoever;  and  that  the  same  may  be  re- 
mitted to  any  part  of  the  world  they  may  think  proper, 
under  the  same  and  no  other  regulations  than  the  citi- 
zens of  the  state  may  be  subject  to. 

"  That  no  slaves,  restored  to  their  former  owners  by 
virtue  of  this  agreement,  shall  be  punished  by  the  au- 
thority of  the  state  for  having  left  their  masters  and 
attached  themselves  to  the  British  troops;  and  it  will 
be  particularly  recommended  to  their  respective  own- 
ers to  forgive  them  for  the  same. 

"  That  no  violence  or  insult  shall  be  offered  to  the 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  State*.    451 

persons  or  houses  of  the  families  of  such  persons  as  are 
obliged  to  leave  the  state  for  their  adherence  to  the 
British  government,  when  the  American  army  shall 
take  possession  of  the  town,  or  at  any  time  afterwards, 
as  far  as  it  is  in  the  power  of  those  in  authority  to  pre- 
vent it. 

"  That  Edward  Blake  and  Roger  Parker  Saunders, 
esquires,  shall  be  permitted  to  reside  in  Charleston  on 
their  parole  of  honor  to  assist  in  the  execution  of  the 
first  article  of  this  compact." — Ramsay. 

In  pursuance  of  this  contract  all  minor  measures 
were  punctiliously  adopted  for  its  consummation.  The 
two  American  commissioners  were  duly  accredited 
and  received  in  Charleston. 

But  the  very  first  embarkation  of  the  retiring  enemy 
evinced  that  matured  consideration  of  the  preceding 
compact  produced  its  violation  by  the  party  which  had 
proposed  it.  Leslie  began  to  remove  the  loyalists;  for 
a  portion  of  whom  St.  Augustine  had  been  selected  as 
a  retreat.  A  fleet  for  their  transportation  was  accord- 
ingly prepared;  and  when  they  embarked  two  hun- 
dred negroes  accompanied  them.  The  American  com- 
missioners remonstrated  against  this  infraction  of  the 
compromise  entered  into,  to  superintend  the  honorable 
fulfilment  of  which  they  not  only  had  been  appointed 
by  the  governor  of  the  state,  but  had  been  admitted 
into  Charleston  by  the  general.  The  remonstrance  pro- 
duced the  debarkation  of  a  small  part  of  the  negroes 
on  board;  but  when  the  commissioners  asked  for  per- 


452  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

mission  to  restore  this  small  part  to  their  owners,  by 
forwarding  them  to  the  assigned  post  for  their  recep- 
tion without  the  British  lines,  the  request  was  denied 
and  justified  by  the  following  letter. 

To  Edward  Blake  and  Roger  P.  Saunders,  Esquires. 

Headquarters,  October  18,  1782. 

Gentlemen, 

"  General  Leslie  was  much  surprised  on  finding 
that  a  large  patrole  from  general  Greene's  army,  two 
days  ago,  came  down  so  near  our  advanced  post  on 
Charleston  Neck  as  to  carry  off  three  soldiers,  who 
were  a  little  way  in  the  front.  At  the  time  this  little 
act  of  hostility  was  committed  Mr.  Ferguson  and  ano- 
ther person  were  at  Accabee;  where,  I  believe,  they 
still  remain,  in  expectation  of  the  negroes  to  be  deli- 
vered up,  without  any  sanction  but  that  of  the  agree- 
ment entered  into.  I  am  directed  to  observe,  that  if  a 
line  of  conduct  on  the  part  of  general  Greene,  so  dif- 
ferent from  ours,  is  adopted;  it  must  of  course  put  an 
end  to  the  pacific  intentions  general  Leslie  means  to 
follow,  in  regard  to  this  province,  during  the  short  time 
he  is  to  remain  in  it. 

"  He  wishes  you  will  inform  governor  Matthews 
that  he  expects  the  soldiers  taken  away  will  be  return* 
ed,  and  that  the  governor  will  take  proper  measures  to 
have  this  requisition  complied  with.  Until  this  is  done, 
general  Leslie  must  be  under  the  necessity  of  putting 
a  stop  to  the  further  completion  of  the  agreement." 

"  (Signed)  S.  Weyms,  deputy  adjutant  general.'' 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    453 

The  inability  of  the  British  general  to  secure  the 
faithful  execution  of  the  compact  might  have  been  per- 
ceived by  him  before  its  ratification;  inasmuch  as  the 
effectuation  of  its  material  conditions  depended  on  the 
will  of  the  state  legislature,  more  apt  to  oppose  than  to 
fulfil  executive  recommendations.  If,  however,  this 
inability  was  not  discovered  until  after  ratification,  bet- 
ter  would  it  have  been  to  have  declared  the  fact,  than 
to  have  resorted  to  a  flimsy  and  irrelevant  pretext  for 
abrogation  of  a  contract. 

However,  the  British  general  seems  to  have  prefer- 
red resorting  for  his  justification  to  an  expedient  not 
less  defective  in  reason  than  incompatible  with  his  fair 
and  honorable  character. 

No  suspension  of  military  operations  had  ever  been 
suggested,  much  less  stipulated.  How  then  the  cap- 
ture of  British  soldiers,  by  an  American  patrole,  could 
be  construed  into  a  violation  of  the  contract  entered 
into  with  the  governor  of  the  state,  is  not  discernable. 

But  pretexts,  the  most  trivial,  will  be  embraced  by- 
power  when  disposed  to  forget  right,  in  furtherance  of 
its  will.  Such  appears  to  have  been  the  present  temper 
of  the  British  general;  and  the  contract  lately  sought 
by  himself,  and  well  calculated  to  stop  the  spread  of 
injustice,  was  annulled. 

The  American  commissioners  forwarded  the  letter 
received  from  the  British  adjutant  general  to  governor 
Matthews,  who  replied  as  follows: 


454  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

«  October  19th,  1782. 
"Sir, 

"  I  was  a  few  minutes  ago  favored  with  a  letter  from 
Messrs.  Blake  and  Saunders,  inclosing  one  to  them 
from  major  Weyms,  written  by  your  authority.  As  I 
do  not  like  a  second-hand  correspondence,  I  therefore 
address  myself  immediately  to  you.  I  addressed  a  let- 
ter to  you  this  morning,  by  which  you  will  find  that  I 
was  not  even  then  without  some  apprehension  of  the 
intended  evasion  of  the  compact  entered  into  on  the 
10th  instant;  but  on  the  receipt  of  major  Weyms'  let- 
ter, no  room  was  left  me  for  doubt;  which  obliges  me, 
without  giving  further  trouble  to  those  engaged  in  the 
business,  and  introducing  further  altercation  between 
us,  to  declare,  that  I  look  upon  that  agreement  as  dis- 
solved, and  have  accordingly  ordered  my  commis- 
sioners immediately  to  quit  your  lines.  But  before  I 
take  my  final  leave  of  you,  permit  me  to  make  one  or 
two  observations  on  major  Weyms'  letter,  as  proba- 
bly the  whole  correspondence  between  us  may  one 
day  be  brought  to  public  view. 

"  On  the  12th  instant  I  wrote  to  you,  to  know  whe- 
ther persons  going  to  Accabee  to  bring  off  the  negroes 
when  brought  there,  should  be  protected  from  your 
armed  parties;  and  further,  to  permit  me  to  send  a 
party  of  militia  to  guard  the  negroes  remaining  un- 
claimed to  some  part  of  the  country  where  they  could 
be  supplied  with  provisions.  To  this  letter  I  have  re- 
ceived no  answer,  which  has  obliged  me  to  use  the 
precaution  of  giving  flags  to  all  persons  who  have  ap- 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   455 

plied  to  go  to  Accabee;  as  I  could  on  no  principle 
look  on  that  ground  as  neutral,  until  it  had  been  mu- 
tually agreed  on  as  such.  Indeed  I  was  led  to  believe 
the  contrary  was  intended  on  your  part,  both  by  your 
tedious  silence  and  detachments  from  your  army 
making  excursions  as  far  as  Ashley  ferry;  which  was 
absolutely  the  case  the  morning  of  the  day  that  the 
party  from  general  Greene's  army  took  the  soldiers 
you  so  peremptorily  demand  of  me;  and  if  I  am  rightly 
imformed,  hostilities  were  commenced  by  your  party. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  I  conceive  it  of  little  consequence; 
as  either  party  had  a  right  to  commence  hostilities  on 
hostile  ground;  and  between  enemies  every  spot  must 
be  considered  as  such,  until  mutually  agreed  upon  to 
be  otherwise.  Besides,  it  is  a  well  known  fact,  that 
there  is  not  a  day  but  some  of  your  armed  parties  are 
on  that  very  ground  which  you  affect  to  hold  neutral. 
"  With  regard  to  Messrs.  Ferguson  and  Waring 
remaining  at  Accabee  unmolested,  I  hold  myself  un- 
der no  manner  of  obligation  to  you  for  this  forbear- 
ance; as  I  informed  you  they  were  there  under  the 
sanction  of  a  flag;  that  they  were  to  remain  there  for 
the  purpore  of  receiving  the  negroes  sent  out  by  the 
agents  in  Charleston.  They  were  therefore  authorized 
to  continue  there,  till  you  signified  the  contrary  to 
them.  Flags  from  you  have  remained  within  half  a 
mile  of  our  lines  for  several  days  on  private  busi- 
ness, without  the  least  molestation  whatever.  Be- 
sides, sir,  if  your  reasoning,  as  far  as  it  applies  to  those 
gentlemen,  prove  any  thing,  it  proves  too  much;  be- 


456  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

cause  on  the  same  principle,  the  other  two  commis- 
sioners being  in  Charleston,  ought  to  make  that  neu- 
tral ground  also,  notwithstanding  no  stipulation  for 
that  purpose  had  been  entered  into.  I  never  interfere 
with  general  Greene's  military  plans,  therefore  the  pa- 
ragraph which  relates  to  his  operations  ought  to  have 
been  addressed  to  him;  but  I  believe  he  pays  as  little 
regard  to  threats  as  I  do." 

With  this  letter  ceased  every  effort  to  give  effect  to 
the  contract  between  the  governor  and  general  Leslie. 
The  American  commissioners  returned  home,  and  the 
negroes  seduced  and  taken  from  the  inhabitants  of 
South  Carolina  in  the  course  of  the  war,  remained 
subject  to  the  disposal  of  the  enemy.  They  were  suc- 
cessively shipped  to  the  West  Indies;  and  it  is  assert- 
ed, upon  the  authority  of  the  best  informed  citizens  of 
South  Carolina,  that  more  than  twenty  thousand  slaves 
were  lost  to  the  state  in  consequence  of  the  war;  of 
which  not  an  inconsiderable  portion  was  appropriated 
by  British  officers,  and  sold  for  their  benefit  in  the 
West  Indies. 

Preparations  for  the  embarkation  of  the  enemy  con- 
tinued, but  so  tardily,  that  general  Greene  himself, 
who  never  yielded  entirely  to  the  opinion  that  peace 
was  near  at  hand,  began  to  doubt  the  sincerity  of  those 
pacific  professions  which  accompanied  general  Leslie's 
annunciation  of  his  intended  evacuation  of  Charleston. 
His  presumption  of  the  enemy's  perseverance  in  the 
war,  and  intimate  knowledge  of  the  distressed  condi- 
tion of  his  army  for  clothing  of  every  sort,  could  not 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    457 

fail  more  and  more  to  excite  the  sensibility  of  a  com- 
mander justly  regarded  as  the  father  of  his  soldiers. 

From  the  return  of  lieutenant  colonel  Carrington, 
after  his  visit  to  the  superintendant  of  finance,  general 
Greene  had  endeavored  without  intermission  to  nego- 
tiate a  contract  for  the  supply  of  the  army  with  provi- 
sions, and  to  secure  winter  clothing  for  the  troops,  the 
want  of  which  became  every  day  more  pressing.  Vain 
were  all  his  efforts  to  accomplish  the  first,  although  sup- 
ported by  the  executive  authority  of  the  state,  and 
seconded  by  the  active  exertions  of  the  quartermaster 
general;  who  was  authorised  by  the  general  to  pledge 
the  specie  funds  appropriated  by  the  superintendant  of 
finance  to  the  southern  service,  to  those  who  might 
contract  for  the  supply  either  of  provisions  or  clothing. 

The  devastation  of  the  country,  the  neglect  of  the 
culture  of  the  soil,  and  the  bankrupt  condition  of  the 
numerous  class  of  individuals  heretofore  opulent  and 
influential,  prevented  the  acceptance  of  his  overtures 
by  any,  although  repeatedly  proffered  and  zealously 
pressed.  But  however  disinclined  to  relax  his  endea- 
vors to  substitute  the  regular  and  cheap  system  of 
feeding  his  troops  by  special  contract,  instead  of  the 
wasteful  mode  of  requisition  by  the  state  agent,  who 
was  occasionally  compelled  to  resort  to  military  aid, 
Greene  was  reluctantly  compelled  to  yield  to  the  ge- 
neral inability,  and  to  rely  on  the  precarious  and  ruin- 
ous old  mode,  adopted  through  necessity  and  continued 
from  the  same  cause.  The  evacuation  of  Charleston 
would  of  course  change  the  state  of  the  country,  and 

Vol.  II.  3M 


/ 


458  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

give  vigor  to  enterprising  individuals.  Then,  and  not 
till  then,  could  he  indulge  the  hope  of  effecting  the 
necessary  change  in  subsisting  his  army;  and  he  was 
obliged  to  rely  upon  the  same  event  for  procuring  the 
requisite  clothing,  rendered  more  and  more  necessary 
by  the  close  approach  of  winter. 

Exclusively  therefore  of  the  importance  of  the  ex- 
pected event,  in  a  military  and  national  view,  it  became 
the  peculiar  object  of  anxious  solicitude  with  the  Ame- 
rican general  as  it  presented  the  only  resource  to  re- 
lieve his  army  from  difficulties,  which  must,  unless  sur- 
mounted, lead  to  disbandment. 

General  Leslie  had  declared,  in  his  orders  of  the  Tih 
of  August,  his  intention  of  withdrawing  his  army;  but 
September  had  passed  away,  and  Charleston  still  re- 
mained in  possession  of  the  enemy. 

In  the  course  of  the  preceding  month,  governor  Mat- 
thews had  contrived,  through  his  influence  with  some 
of  the  royalists  in  Charleston,  who  had  resolved  to 
throw  themselves  on  the  mercy  of  their  country,  to 
procure  a  small  quantity  of  the  most  necessary  articles 
of  clothing.  This  fortunate  acquisition,  added  to  a  sup- 
ply forwarded  from  Philadelphia  by  means  of  the  su- 
perintendant  of  finance,  enabled  the  general  to  cover 
the  most  naked  of  his  army;  and  the  unceasing  exer- 
tions of  the  state  commissary,  aided  by  the  co-opera- 
tion of  the  quartermaster  general,  produced  an  agree- 
able change  in  the  quantity  and  quality  of  provisions. 
Still  the  situation  of  the  army  was  deplorable,  avid 
much  remained  to  be  done  to  give  durable  comfort  to 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.    459 

the  troops,  whose  past  distress  is  thus  described  by 
general  Greene  in  an  official  letter  written  on  the  13th 
of  August.  "  For  upwards  of  two  months  more  than 
one  third  of  our  army  was  naked,  with  nothing  but  a 
breech  cloth  about  them,  and  never  came  out  of  their 
tents;  and  the  rest  were  as  ragged  as  wolves.  Our  con- 
dition was  little  better  in  the  articles  of  provision.  Our 
beef  was  perfect  carrion;  and  even  bad  as  it  was,  we 
were  frequently  without  any.  An  army  thus  clothed 
and  thus  fed  may  be  considered  in  a  desperate  situa- 
tion." 

The  delay  and  uncertainty  in  evacuating  Charles- 
ton, however  productive  of  gloomy  forebodings  in  the 
American  camp,  did  not  stop  the  enterprise  of  adven- 
turous individuals,  who,  believing  the  event  at  hand, 
seized,  as  they  presumed,  the  sure  opportunity  of  ad- 
vancing their  fortunes.  Many  of  these  procured  admit- 
tance into  Charleston,  and  entered  into  contracts  with 
the  British  merchants,  whom  they  found  as  desirous 
of  selling  their  stock  on  hand,  as  they  were  eager  to 
buy  it. 

Among  the  adventurers  who,  about  the  end  of  Au- 
gust or  beginning  of  September,  made  their  way  into 
Charleston,  was  Mr.  John  Banks  from  Virginia.  This 
gentleman,  (no  doubt  with  permission)  after  a  short 
stay  in  town,  visited  the  American  army.  Here  he  was 
introduced  to  general  Greene.  Well  knowing  the  naked 
condition  of  his  countrymen  in  arms,  and  convinced  of 
the  general's  solicitude  to  relieve  their  sufferings,  he 
offered  to  procure  and  deliver  whatever  might  be  want- 
ed. Greene  having  been,  as  before  mentioned,  autho- 


460  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 

rized  by  the  superintendant  of  finance  to  enter  into 
contracts  for  supplying  his  army,  did  not  hesitate  in 
accepting  Banks'  proposal,  and  a  contract  was  arranged 
with  him  for  the  requisite  clothing  to  be  delivered  on 
the  evacuation  of  Charleston.  This  was  the  first  op- 
portunity which  had  presented  of  effecting  the  long 
wished  and  much  desired  object.  It  was  embraced 
with  avidity,  and  Mr.  Banks  completely  executed  his 
contract  at  the  designated  period,  to  the  great  joy  of 
the  general  and  army. 

The  preparations  for  evacuating  Charleston  began 
now  to  assume  a  determinate  character;  and  the  doubts 
heretofore  entertained  on  that  subject  dissipated.  The 
American  general  held  still  his  position  at  Ashley  hill, 
shutting  up  every  avenue  to  intercourse  between  town 
and  country.  The  enemy  no  longer  attempted  to  in- 
terrupt this  operation,  but  fixed  in  his  design  of  with- 
drawing from  South  Carolina,  he  avoided  unavailing 
conflict.  Thus  passed  the  autumn,  and  general  Leslie, 
although  never  intermitting  his  preparations  to  retire, 
still  continued  with  his  army  in  Charleston.  At  length, 
early  in  December,  the  embarkation  of  the  military 
stores,  ordnance  and  baggage,  commenced.  When 
this  was  completed,  the  troops  followed,  and  on  the 
14th  the  embarkation  was  finished.  General  Wayne, 
with  the  legion  and  light  infantry,  had,  for  some  days 
previous,  by  order  of  Greene,  placed  himself  near  to 
the  quarter  house  for  the  purpose  of  entering  the  town 
as  soon  as  it  should  be  evacuated.  To  this  officer,  Les- 
lie informally  intimated  his  wish  to  prevent  injury  to 


Southern  Department  of  the  United  States.   461 

the  town,  in  which  he  presumed  on  cordial  coincidence 
from  the  American  general,  and  which  he  insinuated 
was  only  to  be  effected  by  prohibiting  every  attempt 
to  interrupt  the  embarkation  of  the  retiring  army. 

Wayne  communicated  to  the  general  the  intimation 
he  had  received  from  Leslie,  who  directed  him  to  con- 
form to  the  same. 

Accordingly  no  effort  was  made  to  disturb  the 
enemy's  embarkation,  which  took  place  without  the 
smallest  confusion  or  disorder,  the  light  troops  under 
Wayne  entering  into  town  close  after  the  retirement 
of  the  British  rear. 

Thus  was  the  metropolis  of  South  Carolina  restored 
to  the  United  States,  after  having  been  in  possession 
of  the  enemy  from  its  surrender  to  sir  Henry  Clinton 
(on  the  12th  May,  1780). 

The  governor  with  his  suite  was  escorted  into  the 
capital  on  the  same  day.  On  the  next  the  civil  autho- 
rity resumed  its  former  functions,  and  the  din  of  arms 
yielded  to  the  innocent  and  pleasing  occupations  of 
peace. 


APPENDIX. 


Q — Page  293. 

Headquarters,  Martin's  Tavern,  near  Ferguson's  Swamp,  South 
Carolina,  September  11th,  1781. 

Sir, 
In  my  last  despatch  of  the  25th  of  August  I  informed 
your  excellency  that  we  were  on  our  march  for  Fryday's 
ferry,  to  form  a  junction  with  the  state  troops,  and  a  body 
of  militia,  collecting  at  that  place,  with  an  intention  to  make 
an  attack  upon  the  British  army  laying  at  colonel  Thomp- 
son's, near  M'Cord's  ferry.  On  the  27th,  on  our  arrival 
near  Fryday's  ferry,  I  got  intelligence  that  the  enemy  were 
retiring. 

We  crossed  the'rpver  at  Howell's  ferry,  and  took  post  at 
Motte's  plantation.  Here  I  got  intelligence  that  the  enemy 
had  halted  at  the  Eutaw  Springs,  about  forty  miles  below 
us;  and  that  they  had  a  reinforcement,  and  were  making 
preparations  to  establish  a  permanent  post  there.  To  prevent 
this,  I  was  determined  rather  to  hazard  an  action,  notwith- 
standing our  numbers  were  greatly  inferior  to  theirs.  On  the 
5th  we  began  our  march,  our  baggage  and  stores  having 
been  ordered  to  Howell's  ferry  under  a  proper  guard.  We 
moved  by  slow  and  easy  marches,  as  well  to  disguise  our 
real  intention,  as  to  give  general  Marion  an  opportunity  to 
join  us,  who  had  been  detached  for  the  support  of  colonel 
Harden,  a  report  of  which  I  transmitted  in  my  letter  of  the 
5th,  dated  Maybrick's  creek.    General  Marion  joined  us 


464  APPENDIX. 

on  the  evening  of  the  7th,  at  Burdell's  plantation,  seven  miles 
from  the  enemy's  camp. 

We  made  the  following  disposition,  and  marched  at  four 
o'clock  the  next  morning  to  attack  the  enemy.  Our  front 
line  was  composed  of  four  small  battalions  of  militia,  two  of 
North  and  two  of  South  Carolinians;  one  of  the  South 
Carolinians  was  under  the  immediate  command  of  general 
Marion,  and  was  posted  on  the  right,  who  also  commanded 
the  front  line:  the  two  North  Carolina  battalions,  under  the 
command  of  colonel  Malmady,  were  posted  in  the  centre; 
and  the  other  South  Carolina  battalion,  under  the  command 
of  general  Pickens,  was  posted  on  the  left.  Our  second  line 
consisted  of  three  small  brigades  of  continental  troops, — one 
from  North  Carolina,  one  from  Virginia,  and  one  from 
Maryland.  The  North  Carolinians  were  formed  into  three 
battalions,  under  the  command  of  lieutenant  colonel  Ash, 
majors  Armstrong  and  Blount;  the  whole  commanded  by 
general  Sumner,  and  posted  upon  the  right.  The  Virginians 
consisted  of  two  battalions,  commanded  by  major  Snead  and 
captain  Edmonds,  and  the  whole  by  lieutenant  colonel  Camp- 
bell, and  posted  in  the  centre.  The  Marylanders  also  consisted 
of  two  battalions,  commanded  by  lieutenant  colonel  Howard 
and  major  Hardman,  and  the  brigade  by  colonel  Williams, 
deputy  adjutant  general  to  the  army,  and  were  posted  upon 
the  left.  Lieutenant  colonel  Lee  witrr  his  legion  covered 
our  right  flank;  and  lieutenant  colonel  Henderson  with  the 
state  troops,  commanded  by  lieutenant  colonels  Hampton, 
Middleton,  and  Polk,  our  left.  Lieutenant  colonel  Washing- 
ton with  his  horse,  and  the  Delaware  troops  under  captain 
Kirkwood,  formed  a  corps  de  reserve.  Two  three  pounders 
under  captain  lieutenant  Gaines  advanced  with  the  front  line, 
and  two  sixes  under  captain  Browne  with  the  second. 

The  legion  and  state  troops  formed  our  advance,  and 
were  to  retire  upon  the  flanks  upon  the  enemy's  forming. 
In  this  order  we  moved  on  to  the  attack.  The  legion  and 
state  troops  fell  in  with  a  party  of  the  enemy's  horse  and 
foot,  about  four  miles  from  their  camp,  who,  mistaking  our 
people  for  a  partv  of  militia,  charged  them  briskly,  but  were 


APPENDIX.  465 

soon  convinced  of  their  mistake  by  the  reception  thev  met 
with.  The  infantry  of  the  state  troops  kept  up  a  heavy  fire, 
and   the   legion   in   front,  under  captain  Rudolph,   charged 
them  with  fixed  bayonets:  they  fled  on  all  sides,  leaving  four 
or  five  dead  on  the  ground,  and  several  more  wounded.    As 
this  was  supposed  to  be  the  advance  of  the  British  army, 
our  front  line  was  ordered  to   form   and   move   on  briskly 
in   line,   the  legion  and   state  troops  to  take  their  position 
upon  the   flanks.    All   the  country  is   covered   with  timber 
from  the  place  the  action  began  to  the  Eutaw  Springs.  The 
firing  began   again  between  two  and  three  miles  from  the 
British  camp.    The  militia  were  ordered  to  keep  advancing 
as    they  fired.    The   enemy's   advanced   parties   were   soon 
driven  in,  and  a  most  tremendous  fire  began  on  both  sides 
from  right  to   left,  and   the   legion   and   state  troops   were 
closely   engaged.    General  Marion,    colonel    Malmady   and 
general  Pickens  conducted  the   troops  with  great  gallantry 
and  good  conduct;  and  the  militia  fought  with  a  degree  of 
spirit  and  firmness  that  reflects  the  highest  honor  upon  that 
class  of  soldiers.  But  the  enemy's  fire  being  greatly  superior 
to  ours,  and  continuing  to  advance,  the  militia  began  to  give 
ground.  The  North  Carolina  brigade,  under  general  Sumner, 
was  ordered  up  to  their  support.  These  were  all  new  levies,  and 
had  been  under  discipline  but  little  more  than  a  month;  not- 
withstanding which  they  fought  with  a  degree  of  obstinacy 
that  would   do  honor  to  the  best  of  veterans;  and  I  could 
hardly  tell  which  to  admire  most,  the  gallantry  of  the  officers 
or  the  bravery  of  the  troops.   They   kept  up  a  heavy  and 
well  directed   fire,   and  the   enemy  returned  it  with   equal 
spirit,  for  they  really  fought  worthy  of  a  better  cause,  and 
great  execution  was  done  on  both  sides.    In  this  stage  of  the 
action,  the  Virginians  under  lieutenant  colonel  Campbell,  and 
the   Marylanders  under  colonel  Williams,  were  led  on  to 
a  brisk  charge,  with  trailed  arms,  through  a  heavy  cannonade 
and  a  shower  of  musket  balls.    Nothing  could  exceed  the 
gallantry  and  firmness  of  both  officers  and  soldiers  upon  this 
occasion.   They  preserved  their  order,  and  pressed  on  with 
such   unshaken  resolution  that  thev  bore   down   all   before 
Vol.  II.  3  N 


466  APPENDIX. 

them.  The  enemy  were  routed  in  all  quarters.  Lieutenant 
colonel  Lee  had,  with  great  address,  gallantry,  and  good 
conduct,  turned  the  enemy's  left  flank,  and  was  charging 
them  in  rear  at  the  same  time  the  Virginia  and  Maryland 
troops  were  charging  them  in  front.  A  most  valuable  officer, 
lieutenant  colonel  Henderson,  got  wounded  early  in  the  ac- 
tion; and  lieutenant  colonel  Hampton,  who  commanded  the 
state  cavalry,  and  who  fortunately  succeeded  lieutenant  colo- 
nel Henderson  in  command,  charged  a  party  of  the  enemy, 
and   took   upwards  of  one   hundred  prisoners.     Lieutenant 
colonel  Washington  brought  up  the  corps  de  reserve  upon 
the  left,  Avhere  the  enemy  seemed  disposed  to  make  further 
resistance;  and  charged  them  so  briskly  with  the  cavalry  and 
captain  Kirkwood's  infantry,  as  gave  them  no  time  to  rally 
or  form.  Lieutenant  colonels  Polk  and  Middleton,  who  com- 
manded the  state  infantry,  were  no  less  conspicuous  for  their 
good  conduct  than   their  intrepidity;  and  the  troops  under 
their  command  gave  a  specimen  of  what  may  be  expected 
from  men,  naturally  brave,  when   improved  by  proper  dis- 
cipline.  Captain  lieutenant  Gaines,  who  commanded  the  three 
pounders  with  the  front  line,  did  great  execution  until  his 
pieces   were   dismounted.    We   kept    close   at  the   enemy's 
heels  after  they  broke,  until  we  got  into  their  camp,  and  a 
great  number  of  prisoners  were  continually  falling  into  our 
hands,  and  some  hundreds  of  the  fugitives  ran  off  towards 
Charleston.    But  a  party  threw  themselves  into  a  large  three 
story  brick  house,  which  stands  near  the  spring;  others  took 
post  in  a  picqueted  garden,  while  others  were  lodged  in  an 
impenetrable  thicket,  consisting  of  a  cragged  shrub,  called  a 
black  jack.  Thus  secured  in  front,  and  upon  the  right  by  the 
house  and  a  deep  ravine,  upon   the  left   by  the   picqueted 
garden  and  in  the  impenetrable  shrubs,  and  the  rear  also  be- 
ing secured  by  the  springs  and  deep  hollow  ways,  the  enemy 
renewed  the  action.  Every  exertion   was  made  to  dislodge 
them.    Lieutenant  colonel  Washington  made  most  astonishing 
efforts  to  get  through  the  thicket  to  charge  the  enemy  in  the 
rear;  but  found  it  impracticable,  had  his  horse  shot  under 
him,  and  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner.  Four  six  pounders 


APPENDIX.  467 

were  ordered  up  before  the  house — two  of  our  own,  and  two 
of  the  enemy's,  which  they  had  abandoned — and  they  were 
pushed  on  so  much  under  the  command  of  the  fire  from  the 
hous'  and  the  partv  in  the  thicket,  as  rendered  it  im- 
practicable to  bring  them  off  again  when  the  troops  were 
ordered  to  retire.  Never  were  pieces  better  served;  most 
of  the  men  and  officers  were  either  killed  or  wounded. 
Washington  failing  in  his  charge  upon  the  left,  and  the 
legion  baffled  in  an  attempt  upon  the  right,  and  finding 
our  infantry  galled  by  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  and  our  am- 
munition mostly  consumed,  though  both  officers  and  men 
continued  to  exhibit  uncommon  acts  of  heroism,  I  thought 
proper  to  retire  out  of  the  fire  of  the  house,  and  draw  up 
the  troops  at  a  little  distance  in  the  woods;  not  thinking  it 
advisable  to  push  our  advantages  further,  being  persuaded 
the  enemy  could  not  hold  the  post  many  hours,  and  that  our 
chance  to  attack  them  on  the  retreat  was  better  than  a  second 
attempt  to  dislodge  them,  in  which,  if  we  succeeded,  it  must 
be  attended  with  considerable  loss. 

We  collected  all  our  wounded,  except  such  as  were  under 
the  command  of  the  fire  of  the  house,  and  retired  to  the 
ground,  from  which  we  marched  in  the  morning,  there  being- 
no  water  nearer,  and  the  troops  ready  to  faint  with  the  heat, 
and  want  of  refreshment,  the  action  having  continued  near  four 
hours.  I  left  on  the  field  of  action  a  strong  picquet,  and 
early  in  the  morning  detached  general  Marion  and  lieutenant 
colonel  Lee  with  the  legion  horse  between  Kutaw  and  Charles- 
ton, to  prevent  any  reinforcements  fr-om  coming  to  the  relief 
of  the  enemy;  and  also  to  retard  their  march,  should  they 
attempt  to  retire,  and  give  time  to  the  army  to  fall  upon 
their  rear  and  put  a  finishing  stroke  to  our  successes.  We 
left  two  pieces  of  our  artillery  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
and  brought  off  one  of  theirs.  On  the  evening  of  the  9th,  the 
enemy  retired,  leaving  upwards  of  seventy  of  their  wounded 
behind  them,  and  not  less  than  one  thousand  stand  of  arms 
that  were  picked  up  on  the  field,  and  found  broke  and  con- 
cealed in  the  Eutaw  Springs.  They  stove  between  twenty 
and  thirty  puncheons  of  rum,  and  destroyed  a  great  varietv 


468  APPENDIX. 

of  other  stores,  which  they  had  not  carriages  to  carry  off. 
We  pursued  them  the  moment  we  got  intelligence  of  their 
retiring.  But  they  formed  a  junction  with  major  M' Arthur 
at  this  place,  general  Marion  and  lieutenant  colonel  Lee  not 
having  a  force  sufficient  to  prevent  it:  but  on  our  approach 
thev  retired  to  the  neighborhood  of  Charleston.  We  have 
taken  five  hundred  prisoners,  including  the  wounded  the 
enemy  left  behind;  and  I  think  they  cannot  have  suffered  less 
than  six  hundred  more  in  killed  and  wounded.  The  fugitives 
that  fled  from  the  field  of  battle  spread  such  an  alarm  that 
the  eaemy  burnt  their  stores  at  Dorchester,  and  abandoned 
the  post  at  Fair  Lawn;  and  a  great  number  of  negroes  and 
others  were  employed  in  felling  trees  across  the  road  for 
some  miles  without  the  gates  of  Charleston.  Nothing  but 
the  brick  house,  and  the  peculiar  strength  of  the  position  at 
Eutaw,  saved  the  remains  of  the  British  army  from  being 
all  made  prisoners. 

We  pursued  them  as  far  as  this  place;  but  not  being  able 
to  overtake  them,  we  shall  halt  a  day  or  two  to  refresh,  and 
then  take  our  old  position  on  the  High  Hills  of  Santee.  I 
think  myself  principally  indebted  for  the  victory  we  obtained 
to  the  free  use  of  the  bayonet  made  by  the  Virginians  and 
Marylanders,  the  infantry  of  the  legion,  and  captain  Kirk- 
wrood's  light  infantry:  and  though  few  armies  ever  exhibited 
equal  bravery  with  ours  in  general,  vet  the  conduct  and  in- 
trepidity of  these  corps  were  peculiarly  conspicuous.  Lieute- 
nant colonel  Campbell  fell  as  he  was  leading  his  troops  to  the 
charge,  and  though  he  fell  with  distinguished  marks  of  honor, 
yet  his  loss  is  much  to  be  regretted:  he  was  the  great  soldier 
and  the  firm  patriot. 

Our  loss  in  officers  is  considerable,  more  from  their  value 
than  their  number;  for  never  did  either  men  or  officers  offer 
their  blood  more  willingly  in  the  service  of  their  country.  I 
cannot  help  acknowledging  my  obligations  to  colonel  Wil- 
liams for  his  great  activity  on  this  and  many  other  occasions 
in  forming  the  army,  and  for  his  uncommon  intrepidity  in 
leading  on  the  Maryland  troops  to  the  charge,  which  ex- 
ceeded any  thing  I  ever  saw.    I  also  feel  myself  greatly 


APPENDIX.  469 

indebted  to  captains  Pierce  and  Pendleton,  major  Hyrne 
and  captain  Shubrick,  my  aids-de-camp,  tor  their  activity 
and  good  conduct  throughout  the  whole  of  the  action. 

This  despatch  will  be  handed  to  your  excellency  by  cap- 
tain Pierce,  to  whom  I  beg  leave  to  refer  you  for  further 
particulars. 

I  have  the  honor  to,  &c. 

Nath.  Greene. 

His  Excellency  the  President  of  Congress. 


Extract  of  a  letter  from  Lieut.  Col.  Stuart  to  Earl  Cornwallis. 

Eutaw,  Sefite?nber  9th,  1781. 

With  particular  satisfaction  I  have  the  honor  to  inform 
your  lordship  that,  on  the  8th  instant,  I  was  attacked  by  the 
rebel  general  Greene  with  all  the  force  he  could  collect  in 
this  province  and  North  Carolina;  and  after  an  obstinate  en- 
gagement, which  lasted  near  two  hours,  I  totally  defeated 
him,  and  took  two  six  pounders.  Soon  after  I  had  the  honor 
of  writing  your  lordship  from  Thompson's,  I  received  infor- 
mation of  Greene's  having  moved  with  the  rebel  army  towards 
Cambden,  and  crossed  the  Wateree  at  that  place,  and,  from 
the  best  intelligence  I  could  collect,  was  on  his  march  to 
Fryday's  ferry,  on  the  Congaree.  The  army  under  my  com- 
mand being  much  in  want  of  necessaries,  and  there  being  at 
the  same  time  a  convoy  with  provisions  on  their  march  from 
Charleston,  which  would  necessarily  have  obliged  me  to  make 
a  detachment  of  at  least  four  hundred  men — which  at  that 
time  I  could  ill  afford,  the  army  being  much  weakened  by 
sickness — to  meet  the  convoy  at  Martin's,  fifty-six  miles  from 
the  camp.  The  distance  being  so  great,  a  smaller  escort  was 
liable  to  fall  by  the  enemy's  cavalry,  which  are  very  numerous. 
I  therefore  thought  it  advisable  to  retire  by  slow  marches  to 
the  Eutaws,  where  I  might  have  an  opportunity  of  receiving 
my  supplies,  and  disencumber  m) self  from  the  sick,  without 
risking  any  escorts,  or  suffer  myself  to  be  attacked  at  a  dis- 


470  APPENDIX. 

advantage,  should  the  enemy  have  crossed  the  Congaree. 
Notwithstanding  every  exertion  having  been  made  to  gain 
intelligence  of  the  enemy's  situation,  they  rendered  it  impos- 
sible by  way-laying  the  by-paths  and  passes  through  the  dif- 
ferent swamps,  and  even  detained  different  flags  of  truce 
which  I  had  sent  on  public  business  on  both  sides.  A';Out 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  received  intelligence  by  two 
deserters,  who  left  general  Greene's  camp  the  preceding  tv  n- 
ing  about  seven  miles  from  this  place;  and  from  their  report 
the  rebel  army  consisted  of  near  four  thousand  men  and  four 
pieces  of  cannon.  In  the  mean  time  I  received  intelligence 
by  major  CofEn,  whom  I  had  previously  detached  with  one 
hundred  and  forty  infantry  and  fifty  cavalry,  in  order  to  gain 
intelligence  of  the  enemy,  that  they  appeared  in  force  in  his 
front,  then  about  four  miles  from  my  camp.  Finding  the 
enemy  in  force  so  near  me,  I  determined  to  fight  them;  as 
from  their  numerous  cavalry  a  retreat  seemed  to  me  to  be 
attended  with  dangerous  consequences.  I  immediately  form- 
ed the  line  of  battle,  with  the  right  of  the  army  to  Eutaw's 
branch,  and  its  left  crossing  the  road  leading  to  Roche's 
plantation,  leaving  a  corps  on  a  commanding  situation  to  cover 
the  Charleston  road,  and  to  act  occasionally  as  a  reserve. 
About  nine  o'clock  the  action  began  on  the  right,  and  soon 
after  became  general.  Knowing  that  the  enemy  were  much 
superior  in  numbers,  and  at  the  same  time  finding  that 
they  attacked  with  their  militia  in  front,  induced  me  not  to 
alter  my  position,  unless  I  saw  a  certain  advantage  to  be 
gained  by  it;  for  by  moving  forwards  I  exposed  both  flanks 
of  the  army  to  the  enemy's  cavalry,  which  I  saw  ready  form- 
ed to  take  that  advantage,  particularly  on  the  left,  which 
obliged  me  to  move  the  reserve  to  support  it. 

By  an  unknown  mistake  the  left  of  the  line  advanced  and 
drove  their  militia  and  North  Carolinians  before  them;  but 
unexpectedly  finding  the  Virginia  and  Maryland  lines  ready 
formed,  and  at  the  same  time  receiving  a  heavy  fire,  occa- 
sioned some  confusion.  It  was,  therefore,  necessary  to  retire 
a  little  distance  to  an  open  field,  in  order  to  form;  which  was 
instantly  done,  under  cover  of  a  heavy,  well-directed  fire  from 


APPENDIX.  471 

a  detachment  of  New  York  volunteers,  under  the  command 
of  major  Sheridan,  whom  I  had  previously  ordered  to  take 
post  in  the  house  to  check  the  enemy,  should  they  attempt  to 
pass  it.  The  action  was  renewed  with  great  spirit;  but  I  was 
sorry  to  find  that  a  three  pounder,  posted  on  the  road  leading 
to  Roche's,  had  been  disabled,  and  could  not  be  brought  off 
when  the  left  of  the  line  retired.  The  right  wing  of  the  army 
being  composed  of  the  flank  battalion,  under  the  command  of 
major  Majoribanks,  having  repulsed  and  drove  every  thing 
that  attacked  them,  made  a  rapid  move  to  the  left,  and  at- 
tacked the  enemy  in  flank;  upon  which  they  gave  way  in  all 
quarters,  leaving  behind  them  two  brass  six  pounders,  and 
upwards  of  two  hundred  killed  on  the  field  of  action,  and 
sixty  taken  prisoners,  among  whom  is  colonel  Washington, 
and,  from  every  other  information,  about  eight  hundred 
wounded,  although  they  contrived  to  carry  them  off  during 
the  action.  The  enemy  retired  with  great  precipitation  to  a 
strong  situation  about  seven  miles  from  the  field  of  action, 
leaving  their  cavalry  to  cover  their  retreat.  The  glory  of  the 
day  would  have  been  more  complete,  had  not  the  want  of 
cavalry  prevented  my  taking  the  advantage  which  the  gallantry 
of  my  infantry  threw  in  my  way. 

I  omitted  to  inform  your  lordship  in  its  proper  place  of 
the  army's  having  for  some  time  been  much  in  want  of  bread, 
there  being  no  old  corn  or  mills  near  me.  I  was,  therefore, 
under  the  necessity  of  sending  out  rooting  parties  from  each 
corps,  under  an  officer,  "to  collect  potatoes  every  morning  at 
day-break;  and  unfortunately  that  of  the  flank  battalion  and 
buffs,  having  gone  too  far  in  front,  fell  into  the  enemy's 
hands  before  the  action  began;  which  not  only  weakened  my 
lines,  but  increased  their  number  of  prisoners. 

Since  the  action,  our  time  has  been  employed  in  taking 
care  of  the  wounded;  and,  finding  that  the  enemy  have  no 
intention  to  make  a  second  attack,  I  have  determined  to 
cover  the  wounded  as  far  as  Monk's  Corner  with  the  army. 
My  particular  thanks  are  due  lieutenant  colonel  Cruger„  who 
commanded  the  front  line,  for  his  conduct  and  gallantry 
during  the  action:  and  lieutenant  colonel  Allen,  majors  Daw- 


472  APPENDIX. 

son,  Stewart,  Sheridan  and  Coffin,  and  to  captains  Kelly  and 
Campbell,  commanding  the  different  corps  and  detachments; 
and  every  other  officer  and  soldier  fulfilled  the  separate  du- 
ties of  their  stations  with  great  gallantry.  But  to  major  Ma- 
joribanks,  and  the  flank  battalion  under  his  command,  I  think 
the  honor  of  the  day  is  greatly  due.  My  warmest  praise  is 
due  to  captain  Barry,  deputy  adjutant  general,  major  brigade 
Coxon,  lieutenant  Ranken,  assistant  quarter  master  general, 
and  to  acting  major  of  brigade  Roebuck,  for  the  great  assist- 
ance rendered  me  during  the  day. 

I  hope,  my  lord,  when  it  is  considered  that  such  a  handful 
of  men,  attacked  by  the  united  force  of  generals  Greene, 
Sumpter,  Marion,  Sumner,  and  Pickens,  and  the  legions  of 
colonels  i.ee  and  Washington,  driving  them  from  the  field 
of  battle,  and  taking  the  only  two  six  pounders  they  had, 
deserve  some  merit.  Inclosed  is  the  return  of  the  killed, 
wounded  and  missing  of  his  majesty's  troops.  From  the 
number  of  corps  and  detachments,  which  appear  to  have 
been  engaged,  it  may  be  supposed  our  force  is  great;  but 
your  lordship  will  please  to  observe,  that  the  army  was  much 
reduced  by  sickness  and  otherwise.  I  hope  your  lordship  will 
excuse  any  inaccuracy  that  may  be  in  this  letter,  as  I  have 
been  a  good  deal  indisposed  by  a  wound  which  I  received  in 
my  left  elbow,  which,  though  slight,  from  its  situation  is 
troublesome.  It  will  give  me  most  singular  pleasure  if  my 
conduct  meets  with  the  approbation  of  his  majesty,  that  of 
your  lordship,  and  my  country.         » 

Return  of  Killed,  Wounded,  and  Missing-. 

3  commissioned  officers;  6  sergeants;  1  drummer;  75  rank  and  file,  killed  - 
16  ditto.  20  ditto.  2  ditto.         313  ditto.      wounded. 

10  ditto.  15  ditto.  8  ditto.        224  ditto,      missing. 


APPENDIX.  473 

R. — Page  326. 

Jslead  Quarters  at  Montmorenci,  on  the  River  St.  Lawrence, 

September  2d,  1759. 
Sir, 

"  I  wish  I  could,  upon  this  occasion,  have  the  honor  of 
transmitting  to  you  a  more  favourable  account  of  his  ma- 
jesty's arms;  but  the  obstacles  we  have  met  with,  in  the  ope- 
rations of  the  campaign,  are  much  greater  than  we  had  rea- 
son to  expect,  or  could  foresee;  not  so  much  from  the  num- 
ber of  the  enemy,  (though  superior  to  us,)  as  from  the 
natural  strength  of  the  country,  which  the  Marquis  de  Mont- 
calm seems  wisely  to  depend  upon. 

When  I  learned  that  succours  of  all  kinds  had  been  thrown 
into  Quebec;  that  five  battalions  of  regular  troops,  completed 
from  the  best  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  country,  some  of  the 
troops  of  the  colony,  and  every  Canadian  that  was  able  to 
bear  arms,  besides  several  nations  of  savages,  had  taken  the 
field  in  a  very  advantageous  situation;  I  could  not  flatter  my- 
self, that  I  should  be  able  to  reduce  the  place.  I  sought,  how- 
ever, an  occasion  to  attack  their  army,  knowing  well,  that, 
with  these  troops,  I  was  able  to  fight,  and  hoping  that  a  vic- 
tory might  disperse  them. 

We  found  them  encamped  along  the  shore  of  Beaufort, 
from  the  river  St.  Charles  to  the  falls  of  Montmorenci,  and 
intrenched  in  every  accessible  part.  The  27th  June  we  land- 
ed upon  the  isle  of  Orleans;  but  receiving  a  message  from 
the  admiral,  that  there  was  reason  to  think  the  enemy  had 
artillery,  and  a  force  upon  the  point  of  Levi,  I  detached  bri- 
gadier Monckton,  with  four  battalions,  to  drive  them  from 
thence.  He  passed  the  river  the  29th,  at  night,  and  marched 
the  next  day  to  the  point;  he  obliged  the  enemy's  irregulars 
to  retire,  and  possessed  himself  of  that  post:  the  advanced 
parties,  upon  this  occasion,  had  two  or  three  skirmishes  with 
the  Canadians  and  Indians,  with  little  loss  on  either  side. 

Colonel  Carleton  marched  with  a  detachment  to  the  west- 
ermost  of  the  isle  of  Orleans,  from  whence  our  operations 
were  likely  to  begin. 

It  was  absolutelv  necessary  to  possess   these  two  points-. 

Vol.  II.  3  O 


474  APPENDIX. 

and  fortify  them;  because  from  either  the  one  or  the  other, 
the  enemy  might  make  it  impossible  for  any  ship  to  lie  in  the 
bason  of  Quebec,  or  even  within  two  miles  of  it. 

Batteries  of  cannon  and  mortars  were  erected,  with  great 
despatch,  on  the  point  of  Levi,  to  bombard  the  town  and 
magazines,  and  to  injure  the  works  and  batteries.  The  ene- 
my perceiving  these  works  in  some  forwardness,  passed  the 
river  with  1600  men,  to  attack  and  destroy  them.  Unluck- 
ily they  fell  into  confusion,  fired  upon  one  another,  and  went 
back  again;  by  which  we  lost  an  opportunity  of  defeating  this 
large  detachment.  The  effect  of  this  artillery  has  been  so 
great,  (though  across  the  river,)  that  the  upper  town  is  con- 
siderably damaged,  and  the  lower  town  entirely  destroyed. 

The  works  for  the  security  of  our  hospitals  and  stores,  on 
the  isle  of  Orleans,  being  finished,  on  the  9th  of  July,  at  night 
we  passed  the  North  Channel,  and  encamped  near  the  ene- 
my's left,  the  Montmorenci  between  us.  The  next  morning 
captain  Dank's  company  of  rangers,  posted  in  a  wood  to  co- 
ver some  workmen,  were  attacked,  and  defeated  by  a  body 
of  Indians,  and  had  so  many  killed  and  wounded,  as  to  be 
almost  disabled  for  the  rest  of  the  campaign.  The  enemy 
also  suffered  in  this  affair,  and  were  in  their  turn  driven  off 
by  the  nearest  troops. 

The  ground  to  the  eastward  of  the  falls  seemed  to  be,  (as 
it  really  is,)  higher  than  that  on  the  enemy's  side,  and  to 
command  it  in  a  manner  which  might  be  useful  to  us.  There 
is  besides,  a  ford  below  the  falls,  which  may  be  passed  for 
some  hours  in  the  latter  part  of  the  ebb,  and  beginning  of 
the  flood  tide;  and  I  had  hopes,  that  possibly  means  might 
be  found  of  passing  the  river  above,  so  as  to  fight  the  mar- 
quis de  Montcalm,  upon  terms  of  less  disadvantage  than  di- 
rectlv  attacking  his  entrenchments.  In  reconnoitring  the 
river  Montmorenci,  we  found  it  fordable  at  a  place  about 
three  miles  up;  but  the  opposite  bank  was  entrenched,  and  so 
steep  and  woody,  that  it  was  to  no  purpose  to  attempt  a  pas- 
sage there.  The  escort  was  twice  attacked  by  the  Indians, 
who  were  as  often  repulsed;  but  in  these  rencounters,  we  had 
forty  (officers  and  men)  killed  and  wounded. 


APPENDIX.  475 

The  18th  ol  July,  two  men  of  war,  two  armed  sloops,  and 
two  transports  with  some  troops  on  board,  passed  by  the 
town  without  any  loss,  and  got  into  the  upper  river.  This 
enabled  me  to  reconnoitre  the  country  above,  where  I  found 
the  same  attention  on  the  enemy's  side,  and  great  difficulties 
on  ours,  arising  from  the  nature  of  the  ground,  and  the  ob- 
stacles to  our  communication  with  the  fleet.  But  what  I  feared 
most  was,  that  if  we  should  land  between  the  town  and  the 
river,  captain  Rouge,  the  body  first  landed,  could  not  be  re- 
inforced before  they  were  attacked  by  the  enemy's  whole 
army. 

Notwithstanding  these  difficulties,  I  thought  once  of  at- 
tempting it  at  St.  Michael's,  about  three  miles  above  the 
town;  but  perceiving  that  the  enemy  were  jealous  of  the  de- 
sign, were  preparing  against  it,  and  had  actually  brought  ar- 
tillery and  a  mortar,  (which  being  so  near  to  Quebec,  they 
could  increase  as  they  pleased,)  to  play  upon  the  shipping; 
and  as  it  must  have  been  many  hours  before  we  could  attack 
them,  even  supposing  a  favourable  night  for  the  boats  to 
pass  by  the  town  unhurt,  it  seemed  so  hazardous,  that  I 
thought  it  best  to  desist. 

However,  to  divide  the  enemy's  force,  and  to  draw  their 
attention  as  high  up  the  river  as  possible,  and  to  procure 
some  intelligence,  I  sent  a  detachment  under  the  command 
of  colonel  Carleton,  to  land  at  the  Point  de  Trempe,  to  at- 
tack whatever  he  might  find  there,  bring  off  some  prisoners, 
and  all  the  useful  papers  he  could  get.  I  had  been  informed, 
that  a  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  Quebec  had  retired  to 
that  place,  and  that  probably  we  should  find  a  magazine  of 
provision  .  there. 

The  colonel  was  fired  upon,  by  a  body  of  Indians,  the  mo- 
ment he  landed,  but  they  were  soon  dispersed,  and  driven 
into  the  woods;  he  searched  for  magazines,  but  to  no  pur- 
pose, brought  off  some  prisoners,  and  returned  with  little  loss. 

After  this  business,  I  came  back  to  Montmorenci,  where 
I  found  that  brigadier  Townshend  had,  by  a  super':or  fire, 
prevented  the  French  from  erecting  a  battery  on  the  bank  of 
the  river,  from  whence  they  intended  to  cannonade  our  camp. 


476  APPENDIX. 

I  now  resolved  to  take  the  first  opportunity  which  presented 
itself,  of  attacking  the  enemy,  though  posted  to  great  advan- 
tage, and  every  where  prepared  to  receive  us. 

As  the  men  of  war  cannot,  (for  want  of  a  sufficient  depth 
of  water,)  come  near  enough  to  the  enemy's  entrenchments, 
to  annoy  them  in  the  least,  the  admiral  had  prepared  two 
transports,  (drawing  but  little  water,)  which,  upon  occasions, 
could  be  run  aground,  to  favour  a  descent.  With  the  help  of 
these  vessels,  which  I  understood  would  be  carried  by  the 
tide,  close  in  shore,  I  proposed  to  make  myself  master  of  a 
detached  redoubt,  near  to  the  water's  edge,  and  whose  situa- 
tion appeared  to  be  out  of  musket  shot  of  the  entrenchment 
upon  the  hill.  If  the  enemy  supported  this  detached  piece,  it 
would  necessarily  bring  on  an  engagement,  what  we  most 
wished  for;  and  if  not,  I  should  have  it  in  my  power  to  ex- 
amine their  situation,  so  as  to  be  able  to  determine  where 
we  could  best  attack  them. 

Preparations  were  accordingly  made  for  an  engagement, 
The  31st  of  July  in  the  forenoon,  the  boats  of  the  fleet  were 
filled  with  grenadiers,  and  a  part  of  brigadier  Monckton's  bri- 
gade from  the  point  of  Levi.  The  two  brigades  under  the 
brigadiers  Townshend  and  Murray,  were  ordered  to  be  in 
readiness  to  pass  the  ford,  when  it  should  be  thought  neces- 
sary. To  facilitate  the  passage  of  this  corps,  the  admiral  had 
placed  the  Centurion  in  the  channel,  so  that  she  might  check 
the  fire  of  the  lower  battery,  which  commanded  the  ford. 
This  ship  was  of  great  use,  as  her  fire  was  very  judiciousl) 
directed.  A  great  quantity  of  artillery  was  placed  upon  the 
eminence,  so  as  to  batter  and  enfilade  the  left  of  their  en- 
trenchments. 

From  the  vessel  which  ran  aground,  nearest  in,  I  ob- 
served that  the  redoubt  was  too  much  commanded,  to  be 
kept  without  very  great  loss,  and  the  more,  as  the  two  armed 
ships  could  not  be  brought  near  enough  to  cover  both  with 
their  artiller}'  and  musketry,  which  I  at  first  conceived  they 
might.  But  as  the  enemy  seemed  in  some  confusion,  and  we 
were  prepared  for  an  action,  I  thought  it  a  proper  time  to 
make  an  attempt    upon  their  entrenchments*  Orders  were 


APPENDIX.  477 

sent  to  the  brigadier  generals,  to  b<  ready  with  the  corps  un- 
der their  command.  Brigadier  Monckton  was  to  kind,  and  the 
brigadiers  Townshend  and  Murray  to  pass  the  ford. 

At  a  proper  time  of  the  tide,  the  signal  was  made,  but  in 
rowing  towards  the  shore,  many  of  the  boats  grounded  upon 
a  ledge  that  runs  off  a  considerable  distance.  This  accident 
put  us  into  some  disorder,  lost  a  great  deal  of  time,  and 
obliged  me  to  send  an  officer  to  stop  brigadier  TownsheTid's 
march,  whom  I  then  observed  to  be  in  motion.  While  the 
seamen  were  getting  the  boats  off,  the  enemy  fired  a  number 
of  shells  and  shot,  but  did  no  considerable  damage.  As  soon 
as  this  disorder  could  be  set  a  little  to  rights,  and  the  boats 
were  ranged  in  a  proper  manner,  some  of  the  officers  of  the 
navy  went  in  with  me,  to  find  a  better  place  to  land;  we  took 
one  flat  bottomed  boat  with  us  to  make  the  experiment,  and 
as  soon  as  we  had  found  a  fit  part  of  the  shore,  the  troops 
were  ordered  to  disembark,  thinking  it  not  yet  too  late  for  the 
attempt. 

The  thirteen  companies  of  grenadiers,  and  two  hundred  of 
the  second  royal  American  battalion,  got  first  on  shore.  The 
grenadiers  were  ordered  to  form  themselves  into  four  dis- 
tinct bodies,  and  to  begin  the  attack,  supported  by  brigadier 
Monckton's  corps,  as  soon  as  the  troops  had  passed  the  lord, 
and  were  at  hand  to  assist.  But  whether  from  the  noise  and 
hurry  at  landing,  or  from  some  other  cause,  the  grenadiers, 
instead  of  forming  themselves  as  they  were  directed,  ran  on 
impetuously,  towards  the  enemy's  entrenchments  in  the  ut- 
most disorder  and  confusion,  without  waiting  for  the  corps 
which  were  to  sustain  them,  and  join  in  the  attack.  B'  iga- 
dier  Monckton  was  not  landed,  and  brigadier  Townshend 
was  still  at  a  considerable  distance,  though  upon  his  march 
to  join  us  in  very  great  order.  The  grenadiers  were  checked 
by  the  enemy's  first  fire,  and  obliged  to  shelter  themselves 
in  or  about  the  redoubt  which  the  French  abandoned  upon 
their  approach.  In  this  situation  they  continued  for  some 
time,  unable  to  form  under  so  hot  a  fire,  and  having  manv 
gallant  officers  wounded,  who,  (careless  of  their  persons,)  had 
been  solely  intent   upon  their  duty.  I  saw  the  absolute  ne- 


478  APPENDIX. 

ccssity  of  calling  them  off,  that  they  might  form  themselveb 
behind  brigadier  Monckton's  corps,  which  was  now  landed, 
and  drawn  up  on  the  beach,  in  extreme  good  order. 

By  this  new  accident,  and  this  second  delay,  it  was  near 
night;  a  sudden  storm  came  on,  and  the  tide  began  to  make; 
so  that  1  thought  it  most  advisable  not  to  persevere  in  so 
difficult  an  attack,  lest,  (in  case  of  a  repulse,)  the  retreat  of 
brigadier  Townshend's  corps  might  be  hazardous  and  uncer- 
tain. 

Our  artillery  had  a  great  effect  upon  the  enemy's  left, 
where  brigadiers  Townshend  and  Murray  were  to  have  at- 
tacked; and  it  is  probable  that  if  those  accidents  I  have 
spoken  of  had  not  happened,  we  should  have  penetrated 
there,  whilst  our  left  and  centre  (more  remote  from  our  ar- 
tillery) must  have  borne  all  the  violence  of  their  musketry. 

The  French  did  not  attempt  to  interrupt  our  march.  Some 
of  their  savages  came  clown  to  murder  such  wounded  as 
could  not  be  brought  off,  and  to  scajp  the  dead,  as  their 
custom  is. 

The  place  where  the  attack  was  intended,  has  these  advan- 
tages over  all  others  hereabout.  Our  artillery  could  be  brought 
into  use.  The  greater  part,  or  even  the  whole  of  the  troops, 
might  act  at  once.  And  the  retreat  (in  case  of  repulse)  was 
secure,  at  least  for  a  certain  time  of  the  tide.  Neither  one  or 
the  other  of  these  advantages  can  any  where  else  be  found.  The 
enemy  were  indeed  posted  upon  a  commanding  eminence. 
The  beach,  upon  which  the  troops  were  drawn  up,  was  of 
deep  mud,  with  holes,  and  cut  by  several  gullies.  The  hill  to 
be  ascended  very  steep,  and  not  every  where  practicable.  The 
enemy  numerous  in  their  intrenchments,  and  their  fire  hot.  If 
the  attack  had  succeeded,  our  loss  must  certainly  have  been 
great,  and  theirs  inconsiderable,  from  the  shelter  which  the 
neighboring  woods  afforded  them.  The  river  St.  Charles  still 
remained  to  be  passed,  before  the  town  was  invested.  All 
these  circumstances  I  considered;  but  the  desire  to  act  in 
conformity  to  the  king's  intentions,  induced  me  to  make  this 
trial,  persuaded  that  a  victorious  army  finds  no  difficulties. 


APPENDIX.  479 

The  enemy  have  been  fortifying  ever  since  with  care,  so 
as  to  make  a  second  attempt  still  more  dangerous. 

Immediately  after  this  check,  I  sent  brigadier  Murray 
above  the  town  with  one  thousand  two  hundred  men,  direct- 
ing him  to  assist  rear  admiral  Holmes  in  the  destruction  of 
the  French  ships  (if  they  could  be  got  at),  in  order  to  open  a 
eommunication  with  general  Amherst.  The  brigadier  was  to 
seek  every  favorable  opportunity  of  fighting  some  of  the  en©*- 
my's  detachments,  provided  he  could  do  it  upon  tolerable 
terms,  and  to  use  all  the  means  in  his  power  to  provoke  them 
to  attack  him.  He  made  two  different  attempts  to  and  upon 
the  north  shore  without  success;  but  in  a  third  was  more  for- 
tunate. He  landed  unexpectedly  at  De  Chambaud,  and  burnt 
a  magazine  there,  in  which  were  some  provisions,  some  am- 
munition, and  all  the  spare  stores,  clothing,  arms  and  bag- 
gage of  their  army.  Finding  that  their  ships  were  not  to  be 
got  at,  and  little  prospect  of  bringing  the  enemy  to  a  battle, 
he  reported  his  situation  to  me,  and  I  ordered  him  to  join 
She  army. 

The  prisoners  he  took  informed  him  of  the  surrender  of 
the  fort  of  Niagara;  and  we  discovered,  by  intercepted  let- 
ters, that  the  enemy  had  abandoned  Carillon  and  Crown 
Point,  were  retired  to  the  Isle  aux  Noix,  and  that  general 
Amherst  was  making  preparations  to  pass  the  lake  Cham- 
plain,  to  fall  upon  M.  de  Burlemaque's  corps,  which  consist 
of  three  battalions  of  foot,  and  as  many  Canadians  as  make 
the  whole  amount  to  three  thousand  men. 

The  admiral's  despatches  and  mine  would  have  gone  eight 
or  ten  days  sooner,  if  I  had  not  been  prevented  from  writing 
by  a  fever.  I  found  myself  so  ill,  aud  am  still  so  weak,  that  I 
begged  the  general  officers  to  consult  together  for  the  public 
utility.  They  are  all  of  opinion,  that  (as  more  ships  and  pro- 
visions have  now  got  above  the  town)  they  ehould  try,  by 
conveying  up  a  corps  of  four  or  five  thousand  men,  (which  is 
nearly  the  whole  strength  of  the  army,  after  the  points  of 
Levi  and  Orleans  are  left  in  a  proper  state  of  defence,)  to 
draw  the  enemy  from  their  present  situation,  and  bring  them 
to  an  action.  I  have  acquiesced  in  their  proposal,  and  we  are 
preparing  to  put  it  in  execution* 


480  APPENDIX. 

The  idm:»"a]  and  I  have  examined  the  town,  with  a  view 
to  a  general  assault;  but,  after  consulting  with  the  chief  engi- 
neer, who  is  well  acquainted  wuh  the  interior  parts  of  it,  and, 
after  viev,  ingit  with  the  utmost  attention,  we  found, that  though 
the-  batteries  of  the  lower  town  might  be  easily  silenced  by  the 
men  of  war,  yet  the  business  of  an  assault  would  be  little  ad- 
vanced by  that,  since  the  few  passages  that  lead  from  the 
lower  to  the  upper  town,  are  carefully  intrenched,  and  the 
upper  batteries  cannot  be  affected  by  the  ships,  which  must 
receive  considerable  damage  from  them  and  from  the  mor- 
tars. The  admiral  would  readily  join  in  this,  or  in  any  other 
measure,  for  the  public  service;  but  I  could  not  propose  to 
him  an  undertaking  of  so  dangerous  a  nature,  and  promising 
so  little  success. 

To  the  strength  of  the  country,  the  ent- my  have  added  (for 
the  defence  of  the  river)  a  great  number  of  floating  batteries 
and  boats.  By  the  vigilance  of  these,  and  the  Indians  round 
our  different  posts,  it  has  been  impossible  to  execute  any  thing 
by  surprise.  We  have  had  almost  daily  skirmishes  with  these 
savages;  in  which  they  are  generally  defeated,  but  not  with- 
out loss  on  our  side. 

By  the  list  of  disabled  officers  (many  of  whom  are  of  rank) 
you  may  perceive,  sir,  that  the  army  is  much  weakened.  By 
the  nature  of  the  river,  the  most  formidable  part  of  this  arma- 
ment is  deprived  of  the  power  of  acting,  yet  we  have  almost 
the  whole  force  of  Canada  to  oppose.  In  this  situation,  there 
is  such  a  choice  of  difficulties,  that  I  own  myself  at  a  loss  how 
to  determine.  The  affairs  of  Great  Britain,  I  know,  l-equire 
the  most  vigorous  measures;  but  the  courage  of  a  handiul  of 
brave  men  should  be  exerted  only  where  there  is  some  hope 
of  a  favorable  event.  However,  you  may  be  assured,  sir,  that 
the  small  part  of  the  campaign  which  remains,  shall  be  em- 
ployed (as  far  as  I  am  able)  for  the  honor  of  his  majesty,  and 
the  interest  of  the  nation,  in  which  I  am  sure  of  being  seconded 
by  the  admiral  and  by  the  generals.  Happy  if  our  efforts  here 
can  contribute  to  the  success  of  his  majesty's  arms  in  any 
other  parts  of  America. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  &c. 

James  Wolfe. 


APPENDIX.  481 

N. — Page  370. 
Earl  Cornwallis  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  K.  B. 

York  Town,  October  20th,  1781. 
Sir, 
I  have  the  mortification  to  inform  your  excellency,  that  I 
have  been  forced  to  give  up  the  posts  of  York  and  Gloucester, 
and  to  surrender  the  troops  under  my  command,  by  capitu- 
lation, on  the  19th  instant,  as  prisoners  of  war,  to  the  com- 
bined forces  of  America  and  France. 

I  never  saw  this  post  in  a  very  favorable  light.  But  when 
I  found  I  was  to  be  attacked  in  it,  in  so  unprepared  a  state, 
by  so  powerful  an  army  and  artillery,  nothing  but  the  hopes 
of  relief  would  have  induced  me  to  attempt  its  defence;  for 
I  would  either  have  endeavored  to  escape  to  New  York  by 
rapid  marches  from  the  Gloucester  side,  immediately  on  the 
arrival  of  general  Washington's  troops  at  Williamsburgh;  or 
I  would,  notwithstanding  the  disparity  of  numbers,  have 
attacked  them  in  the  open  field,  where  it  might  have  been 
just  possible  that  fortune  would  have  favored  the  gallantry  of 
the  handful  of  troops  under  my  command.  But  being  assured 
by  your  excellency's  letters,  that  every  possible  means  would 
be  tried  by  the  navy  and  army  to  relieve  us,  I  could  not 
think  myself  at  liberty  to  venture  upon  either  of  those 
desperate  attempts.  Therefore,  after  remaining  for  two  days 
in  a  strong  position,  in  front  of  this  place,  in  hopes  of  being 
attacked,  upon  observing  that  the  enemy  were  taking  mea- 
sures which  could  not  fail  of  turning  my  left  flank  in  a  short 
time,  and  receiving  on  the  second  evening  your  letter  of  the 
24th  of  September,  informing  me  that  the  relief  would  sail 
about  the  5th  of  October,  I  withdrew  within  the  works  on 
the  night  of  the  29th  of  September,  hoping  by  the  labor  and 
firmness  of  the  soldiers  to  protract  the  defence  until  you 
could  arrive.  Every  thing  was  to  be  expected  from  the 
spirit  of  the  troops;  but  every  disadvantage  attended  their 
labor,  as  the  work  was  to  be  continued  under  the  enemy's 
fire;  and  our  stock  of  intrenching  tools,  which  did  not  much 

Vol.  II.  3  P 


482  APPENDIX. 

exceed  tour  hundred  when  we  began  to  work  in  the  latter 
end  of  August,  was  now  much  diminished. 

The  enemy  broke  ground  on  the  night  of  the  30th,  and 
constructed  on  that  night  and  the  two  following  days  and 
nights  two  redoubts,  which,  with  some  works  that  had  be- 
longed to  our  outward  position,  occupied  a  gorge  between 
two  creeks  or  ravines,  which  came  from  the  river  on  each 
side  of  the  town.  On  the  night  of  the  6th  of  October  they 
made  their  first  parallel,  extending  from  its  right  on  the 
river  to  a  deep  ravine  on  the  left,  nearly  opposite  to  the 
centre  of  this  place,  and  embracing  our  whole  left,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  six  hundred  yards.  Having  perfected  this  parallel, 
their  batteries  opened  on  the  evening  of  the  9th  against  our 
left;  and  other  batteries  fired  at  the  same  time  against  a 
redoubt  over  a  creek  upon  our  right,  and  defended  by  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty  men  (of  the  twenty-third  regiment 
and  marines),  who  maintained  that  post  with  uncommon  gal- 
lantry. The  fire  continued  incessant  from  heavy  cannon,  and 
from  mortars  and  howitzers,  throwing  shells  from  eight  to 
sixteen  inches,  until  all  our  guns  on  the  left  were  silenced, 
our  work  much  damaged,  and  our  loss  of  men  considerable. 
On  the  night  of  the  11th,  they  began  their  second  parallel, 
about  three  hundred  yards  nearer  to  us.  The  troops  being 
much  weakened  by  sickness,  as  well  as  by  the  fire  of  the 
besiegers,  and  observing  that  the  enemy  had  not  only  se- 
cured their  flunks,  but  proceeded  in  every  respect  with  the 
utmost  regularity  and  caution,  I  could  not  venture  so  large 
sorties,  as  to  hope  from  them  any  considerable  effect;  but 
otherwise  I  did  every  thing  in  my  power  to  interrupt  their 
work,  by  opening  new  embrazures  for  guns,  and  keeping  up 
a  constant  fire  with  all  the  howitzers  and  small  mortars  that 
we  could  man.  On  the  evening  of  the  14th,  they  assaulted 
and  carried  two  redoubts  that  had  been  advanced  about 
three  hundred  yards  for  the  purpose  of  delaying  their  ap- 
proaches and  covering  our  left  flank,  and  included  them  itt 
their  second  parallel,  on  which  they  continued  to  work  with 
the  utmost  exertion.  Being  perfectly  sensible  that  our  works 
oould  not  stand  many  hours  after  the  opening  of  the  batteries 


APPENDIX.  483 

»f  that  parallel,  we  not  only  continued  a  constant  fire  with  all 
our  mortars,  and  every  gun  that  could  be  brought  to  bear 
upon  it,  but  a  little  before  dav-break  on  the  morning  of  the 
10th,  I  ordered  a  sortie  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  under  the  direction  of  lieutenant  colonel  Abercrombie, 
to  attack  two  batteries  which  appeared  to  be  in  the  greatest 
forwardness,  and  to  spike  the  guns.  A  detachment  of  guards, 
with  the  eightieth  company  of  grenadiers,  under  the  com- 
mand of  lieutenant  colonel  Lake,  attacked  the  one;  and  one 
of  light  infantry,  under  the  command  of  major  Armstrong, 
attacked  the  other:  and  both  succeeded,  by  forcing  the  re. 
doubts  that  covered  them,  spiking  eleven  guns,  and  killing 
or  wounding  about  one  hundred  of  the  French  troops  who 
had  the  guard  of  that  part  of  the  trenches,  and  with  little 
loss  on  our  side.  The  action,  though  extremely  honorable  to 
the  officers  and  soldiers  who  executed  it,  proved  of  little 
public  advantage;  for  the  cannon  having  been  spiked  in  a 
hurry,  were  soon  rendered  fit  for  service  again;  and  before 
dark  the  whole  parallel  batteries  appeared  to  be  nearly 
complete. 

At  this  time  we  knew  that  there  was  no  part  of  the  whole 
front  attacked  on  which  we  could  show  a  single  gun,  and 
our  shells  were  nearly  expended.  I  therefore  had  only  t» 
choose  between  preparing  to  surrender  next  day,  or  endea- 
voring to  get  off  with  the  greatest  part  of  the  troops;  and  I  de- 
termined to  attempt  the  latter,  reflecting  that,  though  it  should 
prove  unsuccessful  in  its  immediate  object,  it  might,  at  least, 
delay  the  enemy  in  the  prosecution  of  farther  enterprizes. 
Sixteen  large  boats  were  prepared,  and,  upon  other  pretexts, 
were  ordered  to  be  in  readiness  to  receive  troops  precisely  at 
ten  o'clock.  With  these  I  hoped  to  pass  the  infantry  during  the 
night;  abandoning  our  baggage,  and  leaving  a  detachment  to 
capitulate  for  the  town's  people,  and  the  sick  and  wounded, 
on  which  subject  a  letter  was  ready  to  be  delivered  to  general 
Washington. 

After  making  my  arrangement  with  the  utmost  secrecy, 
the  light  infantry,  greatest  part  of  the  guards,  and  part  of  the 
twenty-third  regiment,  landed  at  Gloucester;  but  at  this  criti- 


484  APPENDIX. 

cal  moment,  the  weather  irom  being  moderate  and  calm, 
changed  to  a  violent  storm  of  wind  and  rain,  and  drove  all  the 
boats,  some  of  which  had  troops  on  board,  down  the  river. 
It  was  soon  evident  that  the  intended  passage  was  imprac- 
ticable; and  the  absence  of  the  boats  rendered  it  equally  im- 
possible to  bring  back  the  troops  that  had  passed,  which 
I  had  ordered  about  two  in  the  morning.  In  this  situation, 
with  mv  little  force  divided,  the  enemy's  batteries  opened  at 
dav-break.  The  passage  between  this  place  and  Gloucester 
was  much  exposed;  but  the  boats  having  now  returned,  they 
were  ordered  to  bring  back  the  troops  that  had  passed  during 
the  night,  and  they  joined  in  the  forenoon  without  much 
loss.  Our  works  in  the  mean  time  were  going  to  ruin;  and 
not  having  be ?n  able  to  strengthen  them  by  abattis,  nor  in 
any  other  manner  than  by  a  slight  friezing,  which  the 
enemy's  artillery  were  demolishing  whenever  they  fired,  my 
opinion  entirely  coincided  with  that  of  the  engineer  and 
principal  officers  of  the  army,  that  they  were  in  many  places 
assailable  in  the  foremoon,  and  that  by  the  continuance  of 
the  same  fire  for  a  few  hours  longer,  they  would  be  in  such 
a  state  as  to  render  it  desperate,  with  our  numbers,  to  attempt 
to  maintain  them.  We  at  that  time  could  not  fire  a  single 
gun;  only  one  eight  inch  and  a  little  more  than  one  hundred 
Cohorn  shells  remained.  A  diversion  by  the  French  ships  of 
war,  that  lay  at  the  mouth  of  York  river,  was  to  be  expected. 
Our  numbers  had  been  diminished  by  the  enemy's  fire,  but 
particularly  by  sickness;  and  the  strength  and  spirits  of  those 
in  the  works  were  much  exhausted  by  the  fatigue  of  constant 
watching  and  unremitting  duty.  Under  all  these  circumstan- 
ces, I  thought  it  would  have  been  wanton  and  inhuman  to 
the  last  degree  to  sacrifice  the  lives  of  this  small  body  of 
gallant  soldiers,  who  had  ever  behaved  with  so  much  fidelity 
and  courage,  by  exposing  them  to  an  assault,  which,  from 
the  numbers  and  precaution  of  the  enemy,  could  not  fail  to 
succeed.  I  therefore  proposed  to  capitulate;  and  I  have  the 
honor  to  inclose  to  your  excellency  the  copy  of  the  corre- 
spondence between  general  Washington  and  me  on  that  sub- 
ject, and  the  terms  of  capitulation  agreed  upon.    I  sincerely 


APPENDIX.  48§ 

lament  that  better  could  not  be  obtained;  but  I  have  neglect- 
ed nothing  in  my  power  to  alleviate  the  misfortune  and 
distress  of  both  officers  and  soldiers. 

The  men  are  well  clothed  and  provided  with  necessa- 
ries, and  I  trust  will  be  regularly  supplied  by  the  means  of 
the  officers  that  are  permitted  to  remain  with  them.  The 
treatment,  in  general,  that  we  have  received  from  the  enemy 
since  our  surrender,  has  been  perfectly  good  and  proper.  But 
the  kindness  and  attention  that  have  been  shown  to  us,  by  the 
French  officers  in  particular, — their  delicate  sensibility  of  our 
situation,  their  generous  and  pressing  offer  of  money,  both 
public  and  private,  to  any  amount, — have  really  gone  beyond 
what  I  can  possibly  describe;  and  will,  I  hope,  make  an  im- 
pression on  the  breast  of  every  officer,  whenever  the  fortune 
of  war  should  put  any  of  them  into  our  power. 

Although  the  event  has  been  so  unfortunate,  the  patience 
of  the  soldiers  in  bearing  the  greatest  fatigues,  and  their 
firmness  and  intrepidity  under  a  persevering  fire  of  shot  and 
shells,  that  I  believe  has  not  often  been  exceeded,  deserve 
the  highest  admiration  and  praise.  A  successful  defence, 
however,  in  our  situation,  was,  perhaps,  impossible;  for  the 
place  could  only  be  reckoned  an  intrenched  camp,  subject  in 
most  places  to  enfilade,  and  the  ground  in  general  so  disad- 
vantageous, that  nothing  but  the  necessity  of  fortifying  it  as 
a  post  to  protect  the  navy,  could  have  induced  any  person  to 
erect  works  upon  it.  Our  force  diminished  daily  by  sickness 
and  other  losses,  and  was  reduced  when  we  offered  to  capi- 
tulate, on  this  side,  to  little  more  than  three  thousand  two 
hundred  rank  and  file  fit  for  duty,  including  officers,  servants 
and  artificers;  and  at  Gloucester  about  six  hundred,  including 
cavalry.  The  enemy's  army  consisted  of  upwards  of  eight 
thousand  French,  nearly  as  many  continentals,  and  five 
thousand  militia.  They  brought  an  immense  train  of  heavy 
artillery,  mostly  amply  furnished  with  ammunition,  and  per- 
fectly well  manned. 

The  constant  and  universal  cheerfulness  and  spirit  of  the 
officers,  in  all  hardships  and  dangers,  deserve  my  warmest 
acknowledgments;  and  I  have  been  particularly  indebted  to 


486  APPENDIX. 

brigadier  general  OHara  and  lieutenant  colonel  Abercrombie, 
the  former  commanding  on  the  right,  and  the  latter  on  the 
left,  for  their  attention  and  exertion  on  every  occasion.  The 
detachment  of  the  twenty-third  regiment,  and  of  the  marines, 
in  the  redoubt  on  the  right,  commanded  by  captain  Apthorpe, 
and  the  subsequent  detachments,  commanded  by  lieutenant 
colonel  Johnston,  deserve  particular  commendation.  Captain 
Rochfort,  who  commanded  the  artillery,  and  indeed  every 
officer  and  soldier  of  that  distinguished  corps,  and  lieutenant 
Sutherland,  the  commanding  engineer,  have  merited  in  every 
respect  my  highest  approbation:  and  I  cannot  sufficiently 
acknowledge  my  obligations  to  captain  Symonds,  who  com- 
manded his  majesty's  ships,  and  to  the  other  officers  and 
seamen  of  the  navy,  for  their  active  and  zealous  co-opera- 
tion. 

I  transmit  returns  of  our  killed  and  wounded.  The  loss  of 
seamen  and  town's  people  was  likewise  considerable. 

I  trust  your  excellency  will  please  to  hasten  the  return  of 
the  Bonetta,  after  landing  her  passengers,  in  compliance  with 
the  article  of  capitulation. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Abercrombie  will  have  the  honor  to 
deliver  this  despatch,  and  is  well  qualified  to  explain  to  your 
excellency  every  particular  relating  to  our  past  and  present 
situation. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  &c. 

CoRNWALLIS. 


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